Watership Down

PENGUIN BOOKS

WATERSHIP DOWN

Richard Adams was born m Berkshire in 1920, and
studied history at Bradfield and Worcester Gollege,
Oxford He served m the Second World War and in
1948 joined the Civil Service In the mid-1960s he
completed his first novel, Watership Down, the story of
which he originally told to his children to while away
a long car journey Watership Down was awarded both
the Carnegie medal and the Guardian award for
children’s fiction for 1972

Early m 1974 retired from the Civil Service to
devote himself to wntmg, and published Shardik, his
second novel Smce then he has collaborated on Mature
Through the Seasons and J^ature Day and Might (with Max
Hoop er and David A Goddard , 1 9 76) and has written
the poetry for The Tyger Voyage illustrated by Nicola
Bayley (1976) His latest book is The Plague Dogs
(1977) He lives on the Isle of Man with his wife
Elizabeth, who is an expert on English ceramic
history, and his two daughters, Juliet and Rosamond
As well as English literature he is fond of music,
chess, beer and shove-ha’penny, bird-song, folk-
song and country walking

RICHARD ADAMS

WATERSHIP DOWN

Penguin Books Ltd, Harmondswortli, Middlesex, Enfdand
Penguin Books, 625 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, U,S,A*
Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Au'ilralia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 2O01 John Street,

Markham, Ontario, Canada 1 3n 1134

Penguin Books (N Z ) Ltd, 182-190 Wairau Road, Aucl land 10, New Zealand

First published by Rex Golhngs 1972
Published in Puffin Books 1973
Penguin edition published 1974

Reprinted 1975 (four times), 1976 (three times), 1977 (three times)
1978 (six tunes), 1979 (nvace), ig8o ^

Copyright © Rex Colhngs Ltd, 1972
All rights reserved

Made and printed in Great Britain
by Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd,
Bungay, Suffoll
Set m Monotype Baskerville

Except m the United States of America,
this book IS sold subject to the condition
that It shall not, by way of trade or otherwise,
be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated
without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of
binding or cover other than that m which it is
published and %vxthout a similar condition
including this condition being imposed
on the subsequent purchaser

Master Rabbit I saw

WALTER DE LA MARE

To

Juliet and Rosamond,
remembering

the road to Stratford-on-Avon

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with gratitude the help I have received not only
from my family but also from my friends Reg Soncs and Hal
Summers, who read the book bcfoie publication and made
valuable suggestions.

I also wish to thank warmly Mrs Margaret Apps and hliss
Miriam Hobbs, who took pams with the typing and helped me
very much

I am indebted, for a knowledge of rabbits and their ways, to
Mr R. M. LocHey’s remarkable book, The Private Life of the
Rabbit Anyone who wishes to know more about the migrations of
yearlmgs, about pressing chin glands, chewing pellets, the effects
of over-crowding m warrens, the phenomenon of re-absorption of
fertihzed embryos, the capacity of buck rabbits to fight stoats,
or any other features of Lapme life, should refer to that definitive
work.

Note

Nuthanger Farm is a real place, like all the other places in the
book But Mr and Mrs Cane, their little girl Lucy and their farm-
hands are fictitious and bear no intentional resemblance to any
persons known to me, living or dead.

Contents

PART 1 THE JOURNEY

1 The Notice Board 15

2 The Chief Rabbit 20

3 Hazel’s Decision 25

4 The Departure 28

5 In the Woods 33

6 The Story of the Blessing of El-ahrairah 37

7 The Lendri and the River 41

8 The Grossing 44

9 The Crow and the Beanfield 50

10 The Road and the Common 55

1 1 Hard Going 64

12 The Stranger in the Field 68

13 Hospitality 81

14 * Like Trees in November’ 89

15 The Story of the King’s Lettuce 103

16 Silverweed no

17 The Shimng Wire 115

PART II ON WATERSHIP DOWN

18 Watership Down 129

19 Fear m the Dark 137

20 A Honeycomb and a Mouse 147

21 ‘For El-ahrairah to Cry’ 158

22 The Story of the Trial of El-ahrairah 169

23 Kchaar 186

24 Nuthanger Farm 205

25 The Raid 213

26 Fiver Beyond 233

PART I

1 The story opens

2 The Enbornc crossing

3 The Heather

4 Cowslip’s Warren

PART III

7 Tlic combe where Bigwig

met tlie fox

8 ^Vherc they crossed the

railway line

9 The upper bridge on the

Test

10 Wlierc the punt was lying

1 1 Efrafa The Grixa

12 The roadless railway arch

PART II

5 The N E corner of the

Beech Hanger on
AVatership Down

6 Nuthanger Farm

PART IV

13 Tlie lower bridge and the

weed pool

14 The copse where the fox

struck

10

CONTENTS

27. 'You Can’t Imagine it Unless You’ve been

There* 237

28 At the Foot of the Hill 230

29. Return and Departure 259

PART III EFRAFA

30. A New Journey 267

3 1 The Story of El-ahrairah and the Blaek

Rabbit of Inle 273

32. Across the Iron Road 288

33 The Great River 296

34 General Woundwort 309

35 Groping 319

36 Approaching Thunder 337

37. The Thunder Builds Up 343

38. The Thunder Breaks 354

PART IV HAZEL-RAH

39 The Bridges

40 The Way Back

41. The Story of Rowsby Woof and the Faiiy
Wogdog

42 News at Sunset

43 The Great Patrol

44 A Message from El-ahrairah

45 Nuthanger Farm Again

46 Bigwig Stands his Ground

47 The Sky Suspended
48. Dea ex Machina

49 Hazel Comes Home

50 And Last
Epilogue

373

385

398

41 1
418
426

434

439

447

458

463

467

476

PART I THE JOURNEY

I The Notice Board

CHORUS Why do you cry out thus, unless at some vision of horror?

CASSANDRA The house reeks of death and dripping blood
CHORUS How so^ ’Tis but the odour of the altar sacrifice

CASSANDRA The stench is like a breath from the tomb

Aeschylus Agamemnon

The primroses were over Towards the edge of the wood,
where the ground became open and sloped down to an old
fence and a brambly ditch beyond, only a few fading patches
of pale yellow still showed among the dog’s mercury and
oak-tree roots On the other side of the fence, the upper part
of the field was full of rabbit-holes In places the grass was
gone altogether and everywhere there were clusters of dry
droppings, through which nothing but the ragwort would
grow A hundred yards away, at the bottom of the slope, ran
the brook, no more than three feet wide, half-choked with
king-cups, water-cress and blue brook-hme The cart-track
crossed by a brick culvert and chmbed the opposite slope
to a five-barred gate m the thorn hedge The gate led into
the lane

The May sunset was red in clouds, and there was still half
an hour to twilight The dry slope was dotted with rabbits -
some mbbhng at the thin grass near their holes, othei^
pushing fardiei down to look for dandelions or perhaps a
cowslip that the rest had missed Here and there one sat
upright on an ant-heap and looked about, with ears erect
and nose in the wind But a blackbird, singing undisturbed
on tlie outskirts of the wood, showed that there was nothing
alarming there and in the other direction, along the brook,
all was plain to be seen, empty and qiuet The warren was
at peace

At the top of the bank, close to the ivild cherry where the
blackbird sang, was a httle group of holes almost hidden by

THE JOURNEY

brambles. In the green half-IiglUj nl the mouth of one of

these holes, two rabbits were sitting logcthti side b\ side. At

length, the larger of the two came out, .slipped along tlic ijanh

under cover of the brambles and so down into the ditch and

up into the field. A few moments later the othei followed.

The first rabbit stopped in a sunny patch and scratched

his ear with rapid movements of his hind-leg Although he

was a yearling and still below full weight, lie had not the

harassed look of most ‘outskirtcis* — that is, the rank-and-file

of ordinary rabbits m their first ■year who, lacking either

aristocratic parentage or unusual size and stiengih, get '^at

on by their elders and live as best they can — often in llic

open - on the edge of their warren. He looked as tliough he

knew how to take care of himself Thcic was a shrewd,

uoyant air about him as he sat up, looked round and rubbed

both front paws over his nose. As soon as he was satisfied

that all was well, he laid back his ears and set to work on the
grass

His companion seemed less at ease He was small, widi

a way of raising and turning lus head

^ of ceaseless,
"■ continually and when a

he rnmnef humming to a tWstle bloom behind Wm,
by raZ?fs with a start that sent hvo near-

Wacf uoned ® holes before the nearest, a buck with

blac^ tipped ears, recogmzed hirn and returned to feeding
^ CJti It s only Fiver,’ said the black-Upned rahhit ‘ E,rr,^-

ing at blue-bottles again Gome on RnrL-tn t! ^
you telhng me?’ ^ ' -buckthorn, what were

‘Fwfin vr “lied thatP’

smallest You’d wonder no”Zg^had^ot li'^^h

him SnU, I admit he seems to bTL W f ""

way’' ^ble to keep out of harm’s

»ca„, coltaivcly. all " '<>

Kor eiiL, as they call them) of rabbits -

THE NOTICE BOARD I7

The small rabbit came closer to his compamon, loUopmg
on long hind legs

*Lct’s go a bit further. Hazel,’ he said ‘You know, there’s
something queer about the warren this evemng, although
I can’t tell exactly what it is Shall we go down to tlie
brook?’

‘All right,’ answered Hazel, ‘and you can find me a cow-
slip If you can’t find one, no one can ’

He led the way down the slope, his shadow stretclnng
behind him on the grass They reached the brook and began
mbbling and searching close beside the wheel-ruts of the
track

It was not long before Fiver found what they were looking
for Cowslips are a dehcacy among rabbits, and as a rule
there are very few left by late May in the neighbourhood of
even a small warren This one had not bloomed and its flat
spread of leaves was almost hidden under the long grass
They were just starting on it when two larger rabbits came
runmng across from the other side of the near-by cattle-
wade

‘Cowslip?’ said one ‘All right - just leave it to us Come
on, hurry up,’ he added, as Fiver hesitated ‘You heard me,
didn’t you ? ’

‘Fiver found it, Toadflax,’ said Hazel

‘And we’ll eat it,’ replied Toadflax ‘Cowslips are for
Owsla* - don’t you know that? If you don’t, we can easily
teach you ’

fox, stoat, weasel, cat, owl, man, etc There were probably more than
five rabbits m the litter when Fiver was born, but his name, Hratroo,
means ‘Little thousand’, 1 e the little one of a lot or, as they say of
pigs, ‘ the runt’

♦Nearly all warrens have an Owsla, or group of strong or clever rabbits
- second-year or older - surrounding the Chief Rabbit and his doe and
exercising authority Owslas vary In one warren, the Owsla may be the
band of a war-lord m another, it may consist largely of clever patrollers
or garden-raiders Sometimes a good story-teller may find a place, or a
seer, or mtuiUve rabbit In the Sandleford warren at this time, the Owsla
was rather military m character (though, as will be seen later, not so
military as some)

l8 THE JOURKEY

Fiver had already fumed away. Flazcl caught him up by
the culvert

‘I’m sick and tired of it/ he said. ‘It’s the same all the
time. “These aie my claw's, so this is my cowslip.” “These
are my teeth, so this is my burrow^.” I’ll tell you, if ever I get
into the Ow'sla, I’ll treat outskirtcrs wath a bit of decency.’

‘Well, you can at least expect to be in the Ow^sla one day/
answered Fiver. ‘You’ve got some w^cight coming and that’s
more than I shall ever have '

‘You don’t suppose I’ll leave you to look after } ourself, do
you^’ said Hazel. ‘But to tell you the truth, I sometimes feel
like clearing out of this w^arren altogether. Still, let’s forget
it now and try to enjoy the evening I tell you what - shall
we go across the brook? There’ll be fewer rabbits and w^c can
have a bit of peace. Unless you feel it isn’t safe^’ he added.

The way in which he asked suggested that he did in fact
^nk that Fiver was likely to know better than himself, and
it was clear from Fiver’s reply that this w’as accepted
between them

No, it’s safe enough,’ he answered. ‘If I start feeling
there s anything dangerous I’ll tell you But it’s not exactly
danger that I seem to feel about the place It's — oh, I don’t
know - something oppressive, hke thunder I can’ t tell what ;
worries me All the same. I’ll come across wdth you ’
ey ran over the culvert The grass was wet and thick
near t e stream and they made their way up the opposite

diier ground. Part of the slope was in
^adow, for the sun was sinking ahead of them, and Hazel,
a warm, sunny spot, went on until they were
stann^^^^ ^ approached the gate he stopped.

‘Fiver, what’s that? Lookl’

distiirEp^ front of them, the ground had been freshly

reckinp- nf of earth lay on the grass. Heavy posts,

holly trees .f paint, towered up as high as the

lone shadow ^ ^^d the board they carried threw a

posts a Near one of the

posts, a hammer and a few nails had been left behind

THE NOTICE BOARD I9

The two rabbits went up to the board at a hopping run
and crouched in a patch of nettles on the far side, wrinkling
their noses at the smell of a dead cigarette-end somewhere
in the grass Suddenly Fiver shivered and cowered down
'Oh, Hazel* This is where it comes from* I know now ^
something very bad* Some temble thing - coming closer
and closer *

He began to whimper with fear

'What sort of thing - what do you mean^ I thought you
said there was no danger^’

'I don’t know what it is,’ answered Fiver wretchedly
'There isn’t any danger here, at this moment But it’s
coming — it’s coming Oh, Hazel, look* The field* It’s
covered with blood * ’

'Don’t be silly, it’s only the light of the sunset Fiver, come
on, don’t talk like this, you’re frightening me*’

Fiver sat trembhng and crying among the nettles as Hazel
tried to reassure him and to find out what it could be that
had suddenly driven him beside himself If he was ternfied,
why did he not run for safety, as any sensible rabbit would ^
But Fiver could not explain and only grew more and more
distressed At last Hazel said,

' Fiver, you can’t sit crying here Anyway, it’s getting dark
We’d better go back to the burrow ’

'Back to the burrow^’ whimpered Fiver 'It’U come
tlicre - don’t think it won’t* I tell you, the field’s full of
blood

‘Now stop it,’ said Hazel firmly 'Just let me look after
you for a bit Whatever the trouble is, it’s time we got
back ’

He ran do\sm the field and over the brook to the cattle-
wade FIcre there was a delay, for Fiver — surrounded on all
sides by tlie quiet summer cvemng - became helpless and
almost paralysed witli fear When at last Hazel had got lum
back to the ditch, he refused at first to go undciground and
Hazel had almost to push him down the hole
The sun set behind the opposite slope TIic ^^Jnd turned
colder, with a scatter of rain, and in less tlian an hour it \sas

20

THE JOURNEY

dark All colour had faded from the sky: and although the
big board by the gate creaked slightly in the night wind (as
t ough to insist that it had not disappeared in the darkness^
ut was still firmly where it had been put), there was no
passer-by to read the sharp, hard letters that cut straight as
black knives across its white surface. They said:

this ideally situated estate, com-
prising SIX ACR'ES OF EXCELLENT
building land, is to be developed

WITH HIGH CLASS MODERN RESIDENCES
BY SUTCH AND MARTIN, LIMITED, OF
NEWBURY, BERKS.

2. The Chief Rabbit

weights and woe,

Henry Vaughan The World

'voke, strugghnjy^andTt^k^^^ of the burrow Hazel suddenly;
'vas attacking him TBp Something

instinct told him to nm ferret or weasel

that he was alone exceot f cleared and he realized

clambering over him Hnx Fiver who wai

trjang to climb a wire fenn grabbing hke a rabbii

r^verl Fiver ^ ^ Pa^c

' hoTcm h^ixrl^°-p

You were

S on water, going down a great, deep

THE CHIEF RABBIT

21

Stream, and then I reahzed we were on a board - hke that
board m the field - all white and covered with black lines
There were other rabbits there — bucks and does But when
I looked down, I saw the board was all made of bones and
wire, and I screamed and you said, “Swim - everybody
swim”, and then I was looking for you everywhere and
trying to drag you out of a hole in the bank I found you,
but you said, “The Chief Rabbit must go alone,” and you
floated away down a dark tunnel of water ’

‘Well, you’ve hurt mv ribs, anyway Tunnel of water,
mdeed* What rubbish^ Can we go back to sleep now^’
‘Hazel “ the danger, the bad thing It hasn’t gone away
It’s here - all round us Don’t tell me to forget about it-
and go to sleep We’ve got to go away before it’s too
late ’

‘Go away^ From here, you mean^ From the warren^’
‘Yes Very soon It doesn’t matter where ’

‘Just you and I ^ ’

‘No, everyone ’

‘The whole warren^ Don’t be silly They won’t come
They’ll say you’re out of your wits ’

‘Then they’ll be here when the bad thing comes You
must hsten to me, Hazel Beheve me, something very bad
IS close upon us and we ought to go away ’

‘Well, I suppose we’d better go and see the Chief Rabbit
and you can tell him about it Or I’ll try to But I don’t
expect he’ll like the idea at all ’

Hazel led the way down the slope of tlie run and up
towards the bramble curtain He did not w^ant to believe
Fiver, and he was afraid not to

It was a little after m~Frtth, or noon The whole waiTcn
were underground, mostly asleep Hazel and Fiver went a
short way above giound and then into a wade, open hole in
a sand patch and so down, by various runs, until they were
thirty^ feet into the wood, among the roots of an oak Here
the) were slopped by a large, hcavily^-built rabbit - one of
the Owsla He had a cunous, heavy growth of fur on the
crown of his head, wdnch gave ium an odd appearance, as

22 THE JOURNEY

though he were wearing a kind of fd^'’or*as

his ntme, Thlayb, which means, literally, Furhead ,

" -HtlelrTJSg. sniffing at him in the deep ^U.gM
among the tree-roots. ‘It is Hazel, isn 1 1 ^

doing here? And at this time of day? He ign

who was waiting farther down the rim ^ ‘It’s

‘We want to see the Chief Rabbit, said Ha

important, Bigwig Can you help us?

‘We^’ said Bigwig. ‘Is he going to see hirn too .

‘Yes, he must Do trust me, Bigwig I don t usuaUy
and talk like this, do I ^ When did I ever ask to see the C

Rabbit before^’ wet

‘Well, I’ll do It for you, Hazel, although 1 11 probably g

my head bitten off. I’ll tell him I know you’re a sensiD
fellow. He ought to know you himself, of course, u
getting old Wait here, will you?’ ,

Bigwig went a little way down the run and stoppe ^ .

entrance to a large burrow. After speaking a few wor s t a
Hazel could not catch, he was evidently called inside.^
two rabbits waited in silence, broken only by the continua

nervous fidgeting of Fiver.

The Chief Rabbit’s name and style was Thi earah, meaning
‘ Lord Rowan Tree’ For some reason he was always refers
to as ‘ The Threarah’ - perhaps because there happened to
be only one threar, or rowan, near the warren, from whic
he took his name He had won his position not only by
strength in his prime, but also by level-headedness and a
certain self-contained detachment, quite unhke the impul-
sive behaviour of most rabbits It was well-known that he
never let himself become excited by rumour or danger. He
had coolly — some even said coldly — stood firm during the
terrible onslaught of the myxomatosis, ruthlessly driving out
every rabbit who seemed to be sickening He had resisted all
ideas of mass emigration and enforced complete isolation on
the warren, thereby almost certainly saving it from extinc-
tion It was he, too, who had once dealt with a particularly
troublesome stoat by leading it down among the pheasant

THE CHIEF RABBIT 23

coops and so (at the risk of his own life) on to a keeper’s gun
He was now, as Bigwig said, getting old, but his wits were
still clear enough Wlicn Hazel and Fiver were brought in,
he greeted them politely Owsla like Toadflax might
threaten and bully The Thrcarah had no need
'Ah, Walnut It is Walnut, isn’t it^’

'Hazel,’ said Hazel

'Hazel, of course How very nice of you to come and see
me I knew your motlicr well And your friend
‘My brother ’

'Your brother,’ said the Threarah, with the faintest
suggestion of 'Don’t correct me any more, will you^’ in his
voice 'Do make yourselves comfortable Have some
lettuce ^ ’

The Chief Rabbit’s lettuce was stolen by the Owsla from a
garden half a mile away across the fields Outskirters seldom
or never saw lettuce Hazel took a small leaf and mbbled
politely Fiver refused, and sat blinking and twitching
miserably

'Now, how are things with you^’ said the Chief Rabbit
'Do tell me how I can help you ’

'Well, sir,’ said Hazel rather hesitantly, 'it’s because of my
brother — Fiver here He can often tell when there’s anything
bad about, and I’ve found him right again and again He
knew the flood was coming last autumn and sometimes he
can tell where a wire’s been set And now he says he can
sense a bad danger coming upon the warren ’

‘A bad danger Yes, I see How very upsetting,’ said the
Chief Rabbit, looking anything but upset 'Now what sort
of danger, I wonder^’ He looked at Fiver

'I don’t know,’ said Fiver ‘B-but it’s bad It’s so b-bad
that - It’s very bad,’ he concluded miserably
The Threarah waited politely for a few moments and then
he said, 'Well, now, and what ought we to do about it, I
wonder^’

'Go away,’ said Fiver instantly 'Go away All of us Now
Threarah, sir, we must all go away ’

The Threarah waited again Then, in an extremely

^4 THE JOURNEY

understanding voice, he said, ‘Well, I never did! That’s

rather a tail order, isn’t it? What do you think yourself?’

u ^ i! Hazel, ‘my brother doesn’t really tiunk

i He just has the feehngs, if you

^ ^ ^ sure you’re the right person to decide

what we ought to do.’

^^at. I hope I am.

moment’ ^u let’s just tliinlc about this a

most of the ^ ^ isn’t it ? Everyone’s busy and

or so thlv themselves No elil for miles,

me to teh i-h liiness, good weather. And you want

hvoZr t - young - Ir- your

across coumw^t a hunch and we must all go trapesing
sequences eh? Wif knows where and risk the con-
eh p ^ • ^^a.t do you think they’ll say ? AU dehghted,

Fiver suddenly.

perhaps thllT^ Threarah again ‘Well,

to comidJ? It ve^^r Perhaps they would. But I should have
course And them-’ ^ uideed. A most serious step, of

can feel the dangerTl^’ Threarah, sir,’ blurted out Fiver. ‘I
Hazel, help I ’ He ^ “ ^ke a wire -

kicking frantically, as^a^rabbh^^ rolled over m the sand,
him down with both frv ^ does in a snare Hazel held
H’m awJu% sor^ n^Tn ^rew quieter,

like this sometimes^e’ll h Hazel ‘He gets

‘What a shamei mat ^sh "ft,' ^ ’

ought to go home and rest YesT perhaps he

now Well, It’s really been better take him along

nnd see me, Walnut I nr^r^ good of you to come

^ think over Si Ldeed And

quite sure of that Biswuy raost carefully, you can be

wait a moLnt, will

As Hazel and Fiver ty^o , ,

'>m ou„ido ,hc Thread dejectedly down the

m inside, the Chief Rabbit’s”""’ ™uld just hear,

voice assuming a rather

hazel’s decision 25

sharper note, interspersed with an occasional ‘ Yes, sir, No,
Sir ^

Bigwig, as he had predicted, was getting his head bitten
off

" 3 Hazel’s Decision

What am I lymg here for ? We are lying here as

though we had a chance of enjoying a quiet time
Am I waiting until I become a little older ^

Xenophon "Ths Anabasis

‘Butj Hazel, you didn’t really think the Chief Rabbit would
act on your advice, did you^ What were yoi^ expecting^

It was evening once more and Hazel and Fiver were feed-
ing outside the wood with two friends Blackberry, the
rabbit with tipped ears who had been startled by Fiver the
mght before, had listened carefully to Hazel s description
of the notice board, remarking that he had always felt sure
that men left these things about to act as signs or messages of
some kind, in the same way that rabbits left marks on runs
and gaps It was unother neighbour. Dandelion, who had
now brought the talk back to the Threarah and his in-
difference to Fiver’s fear

‘I don’t know what I expected,’ said Hazel I d never
been near the Chief Rabbit before But I thought. Well,
even if he won’t hsten, at least no one can say afterwards that
we didn’t do our best to warn him” ’

‘You’re sure, then, that there’s really something to be
afraid of ^ ’

‘I’m quite certain I’ve always known Fiver, you see
Blackberry was about to reply when another rabbit came
noisdy through tlie thick dog’s mercury in the wood,
blundered down into the brambles and pushed lus way up
from the ditch It was Big\vig

‘HuUo, Big\vag,’ said Hazel ‘You’re ofl duty^’

a6

THE JOURNEY

‘Off duty,’ said Bigwig, ‘and likely lo remain off duty/

‘ How do you mean ^ ’

‘I’ve left the Owsla, that’s what I mean/

‘Not on our account^’

‘You could say that The Thrcarah’s rather good at
making himself unpleasant when he’s been woken up at ni-
Frith for what he considers a piece of trivial nonsense. He
certainly knows how to get under your skin. I dare say a
good many rabbits would have kept quiet and thought
about keeping on the right side of tlic Chief, but I’m afraid
I’m not much good at that, I told him that the Owsla’s
privileges didn’t mean all that much to me in any case and
that a strong rabbit could always do just as well by leaving
the warren He told me not to be impulsive and tlunk it over,
but I shan’t stay. Lettuce-stealing isn’t my idea of a jolly

life, nor sentry-duty in the burrow. I’m in a fine temper, I
can tell you.’

^No one will steal lettuces soon,’ said Fiver quietly.

Oh, that’s you, Fiver, is it?’ said Bigwig, noticing him
or the &st time ‘Good, I was coming to look for you. I’ve
been thinking about what you said to the Chief Rabbit.
^ eii me, is it a sort of tremendous hoax to make yourself
important, or is it true ^ ’

‘It w true,’ said Fiver ‘I wish it weren’t.’

Then you’ll be leaving the warren?’

wio- startled by the bluntness with which Big-

warren ^ ^^’^delion muttered, ‘Leave the

looked verv Blackberry twitched his ears and

L waTn.Tf then at Hazel,

warren toniir^f ^bd I will be leaving the

where we shall ^ deliberately. ‘ I don’t know exactly

with us ’ ^ anyone who’s ready to come

support of a c ^ ^ expected was the immediate

although Bi^? wn crossed his mind that

tight ^ ^^bbit in a

omer, he would also be a difficult one to get on with.

hazel’s decision 27

He certainly would not want to do what he was told - or
even asked ~ by an outskirter ^ I don’t care if he is in the
Owsla/ thought Hazel ‘ If we get away from the warren, I’m
not going to let Bigwig run everything, or why bother to
go ^ ’ But he answered only, * Good We shall be glad to have
you ’

He looled round at the other rabbits, who were all staring
either at Bigwig or at himself It was Blackberry who spoke
next

H think I’ll come,’ he said ‘I don’t qmte know whether
it’s you who’ve persuaded me. Fiver But anyway, there are
too many bucks in this warren, and it’s pretty poor fun for
any rabbit that’s not in the Owsla The funny thing is that
you feel terrified to stay and I feel terrified to go Foxes here,
weasels there, Fiver in the middle, begone dull care ^ ’

He pulled out a burnet leaf and ate it slowly, conceahng
his fear as best he could, for all Ins instmcts were warning
him of the dangers in the unknown country beyond the
warren ^

‘If we believe Fiver,’ said Hazel, ‘it means that we think
no rabbits at all ought to stay here So between now and the
time when we go, we ought to persuade as many as we can
to join us ’

‘ I think there are one or two in the Owsla who might be
worth sounding,’ said Bigwig ‘If I can talk them over,
they’ll be with me when I join you tonight But they won’t
come because of Fiver They’ll be jumors, discontented
fellows like me You need to have heard Fiver yourself to be
convinced by him He’s convinced me It’s obvious that
he’s been sent some kind of message, and I beheve m these
things I can’t think why he didn’t convince the Threarah ’
‘Because the Threarah doesn’t like anything he hasn’t
thought of for himself,’ answered Hazel ‘But we can’t
bother wth him any more now We’ve got to try to collect
some more rabbits and meet again here,yi/ Inli And we’ll
start fu Inl6, too we can’t wait longer The danger’s coming
closer all the time - whatever it is - and besides, the
Tiircarah isn’t going to like it if he finds out that you’ve been

the journey

^ing to get at labbits in the Ousla, Big\vjg Ncithei is
Captain Holly, I daic say. Tlicy won't mind odds-and-ends
ike us clcaung off, but they won't want to lose you. li I were
in youi place, I d be caieful wliom 1 picked to talk to.*

4. The Departure

Now Sir, young Tortinbras,

Of unimproved mettle hot and full,

Hath in the sbrts of Norway here and there
bharked up a list of lawless rcsolutes
or ood and diet to some enterprise
inat hath a stomach in’t.

Shakespeare Hamlet

idea^of SeSe Rabbits, of com sc, have n

are much thp ^ punctuality In tliis respect the

several days ovcTTssSnbr people, who often tak

several more to get started® Ref

together a kind i , . such people can ac

them and ripen to th^ feeling has to flow througl

are ready 71,1 A that the:

swallows in Senteinhf-^^^^^ martins ant

twittering, mafang shorrSte'''*® T wires

the open, stubbly fields groups ove:

longer lines above the wllo longer and ever

hundreds of individual verges of the lanes - th(
mounting excitement inL^ ^^rging and blending, in s
coming loosely and luiird 1 ^^arms, and these swarm
orgamzed flock, thick at th^ '^S^ther to create a great, un
which breaks andre-formq ^ ragged at the edges

that moment

hem know that the timp h part (but not all) o

be^n once more that e-rpa? and havt

'viU not survive, anyone man)

mg this has seen at work the

THE DEPARTURE

29

current that flows (among creatures who think of themselves
pnmanly as part of a group and only secondarily, if at all,
as individuals) to fuse them together and impel them into
action without conscious thought or will has seen at work
the angel which drove the First Crusade into Antioch and
drives the lemmings into the sea

It was actually about an hour after moonnse and a good
wlule before midnight when Hazel and Fiver once more
came out of their burrow behind the brambles and slipped
quietly along the bottom of the ditch With them was a
third rabbit, Hlao - Pipkin - a friend of Fiver (Hlao means
any small concavity in the grass where moisture may
collect, e g the dimple formed by a dandehon or thistle-cup )
He too was small, and inclined to be timid, and Hazel and
Fiver had spent the greater part of their last evemng in the
warren in persuading him to join them Pipkin had agreed
rather hesitantly He still felt extremely nervous about what
might happen once they left the warren and had decided
that the best way to avoid trouble would be to keep close
to Hazel and do exactly what he said

The three were still in the ditch when Hazel heard a move-
ment above He looked up quickly
‘Who’s there he said, ‘Dandelion^’

‘No, I’m Hawkbit,’ said the rabbit who was peering over
the edge He jumped down among them, landing rather
heavily ‘ Do you remember me. Hazel ^ We were in the same
burrow during the snow last winter Dandelion told me you
were going to leave the warren tonight If you are. I’ll come
With you ’

Hazel could recall Hawkbit -- a rather slow, stupid rabbit,
whose company for five snow-bound days underground had
been distinctly tedious Still, he thought, this was no time to
pick and choose Although Bigwag might succeed in talking
over one or two, most of the rabbits they could expect to
jom them would not come from the Owsla They would be
outskirtcrs who were getting a thin time and wondenng
what to do about it He ^vas runmng over some of these in
Ins mind when Dandelion appeared

30

THE JOURNEY

‘The sooner wc’ic ofTthcbcttci , 1 1 cclcoiij’ snid Dandelion.
‘I don’t much like the look of things. Alici I’d persuaded
Hawkbit here to join us, I was just starting to talk to a few
more, when I found that Toadflax fellow had foIlov;cd inc
down the run. “ I want to know what you’re up to,” he said,
and I don’t tliink he believed me wlicn I told him I was
only trying to find out whcthci there were any i abbits who
wanted to leave the warren. He asked me if I was sure I
wasn’t worlang up some kind of plot against the Threarah
and he got awfully angry and suspicious. It put the wind up
me, to tell you the truth, so I’ve just brought Hawkbit along
and left it at that.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ said Hazel. ‘ Knowing Toadflax, I’n^
surprised he didn’t knock you over first and ask questions
afterwards. All the same, let’s wait a little longer. Black-
berry ought to be here soon.”

Time passed. They crouched in silence while the moon
shadows moved northward in the gi ass At last, just as Hazel
was about to run down the slope to Blackberry’s burrow, he
saw him come out of his hole, followed by no less than three
rabbits One of these, Buckthorn, Hazel knew well He was
glad to see him, for he knew him for a tough, sturdy fellow,
who was considered certain to get into the Owsla as soon
as he reached full weight,

But I dare say he’s impatient,’ thought Hazel, ‘ or he may
Uave come off worst in some scuffle over a doe and taken it
fr c ^^d Bigwig, at least we shan’t be too

w '''''' fighting.’

the other two rabbits and when
he - Speedwell and Acorn -

were tvn?^ ^ ^ But this was not surprising, for they

the strame^ outskirters - thin-looking six-monthers, with
to the ti ’ T7 are only too well used

From wW m They looked curiously at Fiver.

cxpStTne to fi ""J had been almost

Instead he <;e^ foretelling doom in a poetic torrent.

'SI Stamw T normal than the rest

^"rtamty of going had hfted a weight from Fiver.

THE DEPARTURE

31

More tune went slowly by Blackberry scrambled up into
the fern and then returned to the top of the bank, fidgeting
nervously and half-inclined to bolt at nothing Hazel and
Fiver remamed in the ditch, nibbhng half-heartedly at the
dark grass At last Hazel heard what he was hstemng
for, a rabbit - or was it two^ - approaching from the
wood

A few moments later Bigwig was in the ditch Behind him
came a hefty, brisk-looking rabbit, something over twelve
months old He was well-known by sight to all the warren,
for his fur was entirely grey, with patches of near-white that
now caught the moonlight as he sat scratching himself with-
out speaking This was Silver, a nephew of the Threarah,
who was serving his first month in the Owsla

Hazel could not help feeling relieved that^ Bigwig had
brought only Silver — a quiet, straightforward fellow^ who
had not yet really found his feet among the veterans Wlien
Bigwig had spoken earlier of soimding out the Owsla, Hazel
had been in two minds It was only too likely that they
would encounter dangers beyond the warren and that they
would stand m need of some good fighters Again, if Fiver
^vas nght and the whole warren was in immment peril, then
of course they ought to welcome any rabbit who was ready
to join them On the other hand, there seemed no point in
taking particular pains to get hold of rabbits who were going
to behave like Toadflax

^ ‘Wherever we settle down in the end,’ thought Hazel,
I’m determined to see that Pipkin and Fiver aren’t sat on

and cuffed around until they’re ready to run any risk just
to get away But is Bigwig going to see it Iilce that ^ ’

You know Sliver, don’t you^’ asked Bigwig, breaking in
on his thoughts ‘Apparently some of tlie younger fellows m
the Owsla have been giving him a thin time ~ teasing lum
about lus fur, you know, and saying he only got his place
because of the Threarah I thought I was going to get some
Riorc, but I suppose nearly all the Owsla feel they’re very
well off as they are ’

He looked about him ‘1 sav, there aren’t manv here,

the journey

idea?*’ it’s really worth going on with this

patterW ^hout to speak when suddenly there was a
came over ih above and three more rabbits

direct anH wood. Their movement was

approach unlike the earlier, haphazard

largm of til r gathered in the ditch. The

two folIowpH li ^^^'"comers was in front and the otlier

once that they orders. Hazel, sensing at

companiom Iio #- , ^^oamon with himself and his

his ear ‘ Oh^ PT ^ tensely. Fiver muttered in

tnow°you'’lfoMv^w?t'* replied Bigwig, ‘and I

‘TT ^ onder arrest.’

‘ Verdr„rdt'^’’-"‘ What for?>

you’re under^^est too *° mutiny. Silver,

evening and cau^ino- ’ ^nihng to report to Toadflax tliis

on a comrade.

iug Ho% fought'l^l scratching and kick-

an opening tojom the fight and oZw looking for

from the top of the hanP n i down. Suddenly,

mio the «cuffle, knocked onehthe™ himself headlong

from his back legs and then 8“”* flymg with a kick
followed a momfnt ttefb^DaT/.r'* °Aer. He was
Ihc rabbit whom Buckthorn had lu” o“

f.ar, looked round fo^ , f ®o* guards broke

hank mto the wood. Holly "^"'iS'^r^on leapt up the

crouched on his hauncSf feS^t ®g«’ig und

growling, as rabbits will when an^H^ front paws and

wli-m Hazel faced him. " ^bout to speak

you."'"’ fiumly and quietly, ^

IN THE WOODS 33

‘Do you know what this means replied Holly ‘I am
Captain of Owsla You know that, don’t you^’

‘Go,’ repeated Hazel, ‘or you will be killed ’

‘It IS you who will be killed,’ replied Holly Without
another word he too went back up the bank and vanished
into the wood

Dandehon was bleeding from the shoulder He licked the
wound for a few moments and then turned to Hazel

‘They won’t be long coming back, you know. Hazel,’ he
said ‘They’ve gone to turn out the Owsla, and then we’ll
be for It right enough ’

‘We ought to go at once,’ said Fiver
‘Yes, the time’s come now all right,’ replied Hazel ‘ Gome
on, down to the stream Then we’ll follow the bank - that’ll
help us to keep together ’

‘If you’ll take my advice began Bigwig
‘If we stay here any longer I shan’t be able to,’ answered
Hazel

With Fiver beside him, he led the way out of the ditch and
down the slope In less thati a minute the little band of
rabbits had disappeared into the dim, moonht mght

5 In The Woods

These young rabbits must move out if they are to survive In a
Wild and free state they stray sometimes for miles wander-
ing until they find a suitable environment

R M Lockley The Private Life of the Rabbit

It was getting on towards moonset when they left the fields
and entered the wood Straggling, catching up with one
another, keeping more or less together, they had wandered
over half a mile down the fields, always following the course
of the brook Although Hazel guessed that they must now
have gone further from the warren than any rabbit he had

34 the journey

ever talked to, he was not sure whether they were yet safely
away and it was while he was wondering — not for the
first time — whether he could hear sounds of pursuit that
he first noticed the dark masses of the trees and the brook
disappearing among them

Rabbits avoid close woodland, where the ground is shady,
damp and grassless and they feel menaced by the under-
growth Hazel did not care for the look of the trees StiU, he
thought, Holly would no doubt think twice before following
them into a place like that, and to keep beside the brook
might well prove safer than wandering about the fields in
one direction and another, with the risk of finding them'
selv^, in the end, back at the warren He decided to go
straight into the wood without consulting Bigwig, and to
tn^t that the rest would follow.

If we don’t run into any trouble and the brook takes us
through the wood,’ he thought, ‘we reaUy shaU be clear of
e warren and then we can look for somewhere to rest for a
hit Most of them still seem to be more or less all right, but
bHore^lo have had as much as they can stand

„ he entered it the wood seemed full of

cvr^^ ti ^ smell of damp leaves and moss, and

insirip'^t'h^K of water went whispering about Just

^ ^ the sound,

trQQs, echoed as though in a cave.
teTO here overhead; the lught brLe stirred the

rfmsfc; ^ ‘'"g fcU Ld there were more

movcm^cm ^ sounds, from further away; sounds of

loSio^B to rtarS'’M® is dangerous. The

tkiey startled until tli ^^oond to bolt Again and again
did 'ounck m close to exhaustion. But what

th' V holt to ? 'vhere, in this wilderness, could

IN THE WOODS

35

bushes with raised ears and staring eyes The moon was
low now and the light, wherever it slanted through the trees,
seemed tlucker, older and more yellow
From a tluck pile of dead leaves beneath a holly tree,
Hazel looked down a narrow path, lined on either side with
fern and sprouting fire-wced The fern moved shghtly in the
breeze, but along the path there was nothing to be seen
except a scatter of last year’s fallen acorns under an oak
What was in the bracken ^ What lay round the further bend ^
And what would happen to a rabbit who left the shelter of
the holly tree and ran down the path^ He turned to
Dandelion beside him

* You’d better wait here,’ he said ‘When I get to the bend
I’ll stamp But if I run into trouble, get the others away ’
Without waiting for an answer he ran into the open and
down the path A few seconds brought him to the oak He
paused a moment, staring about him, and then ran on to
^the bend Beyond, the path was the same - empty in the
darkening moonlight and leading gently downhill into the
deep shadow of a grove of ilex trees Hazel stamped, and a
few moments later Dandehon was beside him in the bracken
Even in the midst of his fear and strain it occurred to lum
that Dandehon must be very fast he had covered the dis-
ttance m a flash

‘Well done,’ whispered Dandelion ‘Running our risks
for us are you - like El-ahrairah ^ ^

Hazel gave him a quick, friendly glance It was warm
praise and cheered him What Robin Hood is to the Enghsh
and John Henry to the American Negroes, Ehl-Hrair-Rah,
or El-ahrairah -■ The Prince with a Thousand Enemies — is
to rabbits Uncle Remus might well have heard of him, for
some of El-ahrairah’s adventures are those of Brer Rabbit
For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a
trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was
never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies Once, so they
say, he had to get home by swimming across a nver in which
there was a large and hungry pike El-ahrairah combed
*Thc stresses are the same as in the phrase ‘Never say die*

36 THE JOURNEY

himself until he had enough fur to cover a clay
he pushed into the water. The pike rushed at i , ^

left it in disgust After a little, it drifted to the ba i „

ahrairah dragged it out and waited a wliile betore p
it in again. After an hour of this, the pike left it a
when it had done so for the fifth time, El-ahraira
across himself and went home. Some rabbits say he con
the weather, because the wind, the damp and the nw
friends and instruments to rabbits against their enemie^
‘Hazel, well have to stop here,’ said Bigwig, cormng H
between the panting, crouching bodies of the
know it’s not a good place, but Fiver and this
sized fellow you’ve got here - they’re pretty well all in.
won’t be able to go on if we don’t rest.’

The truth was that every one of them was tired. ^
rabbits spend all their lives in the same place and never
more than a hundred yards at a stretch. Even though t iC)
may live and sleep above ground for months at a tune, j
prefer not to be out of distance of some sort of refuge t a
will serve for a hole They have two natural gaits — the gent e
lolloping, forward movement of the warren on a summer
evemng and the lightmng dash for cover that every human
has seen at some time or other. It is difficult to imagine a
rabbit plodding steadily on' they are not built for it.
true that young rabbits are great migrants and capable o
journeying for miles, but they do not take to it readily
Hazel and his companions had spent the night doing
evciythmg that came unnaturally to them, and this for the
first lime They had been moving in a group, or trying to •
actually, they had straggled widely at times They had been
tiying to maintain a steady pace, between hopping and
running, and it had come hard Since entering the wood
they had been in severe anxiety. Several were almost tharn -
that IS, in that state of staring, glazed paralysis that comes
o cr trn ified oi exhausted rabbits, so that they sit and watch
t u ir enemies — weasels or humans — approach to take their
!Vi ^ T'an sat trembling under a fern, his ears drooping on
< u r c of Ins head He held one paw forward in an

THE BLESSING OF EL-AHRAIRAH 37

awkward, unnatural way and kept bcking it miserably
Fiver was little better ofT He still looked cheerful, but very
weary Hazel reahzed that until they were rested they would
all be safer where they were than stumbhng along in the
open, with no strength left to run from an enemy But if they
lay brooding, unable to feed or go underground, all their
troubles would come crowding into their hearts, their fears
would mount and they might very hkely scatter, or even try
to return to the warren He had an idea

‘Yes, all right, we’ll rest here,’ he said ‘ Let’s go in among
this fern Gome on, Dandehon, tell us a story I know you’re
handy that way Pipkin here can’t wait to hear it ’

Dandelion looked at Pipkin and realized what it was that
Hazel was asking him to do Choking back his own fear of
the desolate, grassless woodland, the before-dawn-re turmng
owls that they could hear some way off and the extra-
ordinary, raid: animal smell that seemed to come from
somewhere rather nearer, he began

6 The Story of the Blessing of El-ahrairah

Why should he think me cruel
Or that he is betrayed^

I*d have him love the thing that was
Before the world was made

W B Yeats A Woman Toung and Old

‘Long ago, Fnth made the world He made all the stars too
and the world is one of the stars He made them by scattering
his droppings over the sky and this is why the grass and the
trees grow so thick on the world Fnth makes the brooks flow
They follow him as he goes through the sky and %vlien he
leaves the sky they look for him all night Fnth made all the
animals and birds, but when he first made them they were
all the same The sparrow and the kestrel ^vere friends and

^3 THE JOURNEY

they both ate seeds and flies And the fox and the rabbit were
friends and they both ate grass And there was plenty of
grass and plenty of flies, because the world was new and
Frith shone down bright and warm all day

‘Now El-ahrairah was among the animals in those days
and he had many wives. He had so many wives that there
was no counting them and the wives had so many young that
even Frith could not count them and they ate the grass and
the dandelions and the lettuces and the clover and El-
ahrairah was the father of them all ’ (Biguag growled ap-
preciatively ) ‘And after a time,’ went on Dandelion, ‘after
a time the grass began to grow thm and the rabbits wandered
everywhere, multiplying and eating as they went

‘Then Frith said to El-ahrairah, “Prince Rabbit, if you
cannot control your people, I shall find ways to control
them So mark what I say.” But El-ahrairah would not
hsten and he said to Frith, “ My people are the strongest in
the world, for they breed faster and eat more than any of the
other people. And this shows how much they love Lord
Frith, for of all the animals they are the most responsive to
his warmth and brightness You must realize, my lord, how
important they are and not hinder them in their beautiful
fives ”

‘ Frith could have killed El-ahrairah at once, but he had
a mind to keep him in the world, because he needed him to
sport and jest and play tricks So he determined to get the
better of him not by means of his own great power but by
means of a trick. He gave out that he would hold a great
meetmg and that at that meeting he would give a present
to every animal and bird, to make each one different from
the rest. And all the creatures set out to go to the meeting-
place. But they all arrived at different times, because Fnth
made sure that it would happen so. And when the black-
bird came, he gave him his beautiful song, and when the
cow came, he gave her sharp horns and the strength to
he afraid of no other creature And so in their turn came the
fox and the stoat and the weasel And to each of them Frith
gave the cunning and the fierceness and the desire to hunt

THE BLESSING OF EL-AHRAIRAH 39

and slay and eat the children of El-ahrairah And so they
went away from Frith full of nothing but hunger to kill the
rabbits

‘Now all this tune, El-ahrairah was dancing and mating
and boasting that he was going to Frith’s meeting to receive
a great gift And at last he set out for the meeting-place But
as he was going there, he stopped to rest on a soft, sandy
hillside And while he was resting, over the hill came flying
the dark Swift, screaming as he went, “News * News ^ News ^ ”
For you know, this is what he has said ever since that day
So El-ahrairah called up to him and said, “What news^”
“Why,” said the Swift, “I would not be you, El-ahrairah
For Frith has given the fox and the weasel cunmng hearts
and sharp teeth and to the cat he has given silent feet and
eyes that can see in the dark and they are gone away from
Frith’s place to kill and devour all that belongs to EI-
ahrairah ” And he dashed on over the hills And at that
moment El-ahrairah heard the voice of Frith calling,
“Wliere is El-ahrairah^ For all the others have taken their
gifts and gone and I have come to look for him ”

‘Then El-ahrairah knew that Frith was too clever for him
and he was frightened He thought that the fox and the
weasel were coming with Frith and he turned to the face of
the hill and began to dig He dug a hole, but he had dug
only a little of it when Fnth came over the hill alone And
he saw El-ahrairah’s bottom sticking out of the hole and the
sand flying out in showers as the digging went on When he
saw that, he called out, “My friend, have you seen El-
ahiairah, for I am looking for him to give him my gift^”

No,” answered El-ahrairah, without coming out, “I have
not seen him He is far away He could not come ” So Fnth
said, “Then come out of that hole and I will bless you
instead of him ” “No, I cannot,” said El-ahrairah, “I am
busy The fox and the weasel aie coming If you want to
bless me you can bless my bottom, for it is sticking out of the

All tlie rabbits had heard the story before on winter
nights, when the cold draught moved down the warren

the journey

passages and the icy wet lay in the pits of the runs below
their burrows; and on summer evenings, in the grass under
the red may and the sweet, carrion-scented elder bloom.
Dandelion was telhng it well and even Pipkin forgot his
weariness and danger, and remembered mstead the great
indestructibihty of the Rabbits. Each one of them saw him-
self as El-ahrairah, who could be impudent to Frith and get
away with it.

‘Then,’ said Dandelion, ‘Fnth felt himself in friendship
wath El-ahrairah, because of his resourcefulness, and because
he would not give up even when he thought the fox and the
weasel were conung And he said, “Very well, I wiU bless
your bottom as it sticks out of the hole. Bottom, be strength
and warning and speed for ever and save the life of your
master. Be it so*” And as he spoke, El-ahrairah’s tail grew
sliimng white and flashed hke a star* and his back legs grew
long and powerful and he thumped the hillside until the
very beetles fell off the grass-stems He came out of the hole
and tore across the hill faster than any creature in the world.
And Frith called after him, “El-ahrairah, your people
cannot rule the world, for I wiU not have it so All the world
will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and
whenever they catch you, they will kill you But first they
must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the
swaft warning. Be cunmng and full of tricks and your people
shall never be destroyed ” And El-ahrairah knew then that
although he would not be mocked, yet Fnth was his friend.
And every cvemng, when Frith has done his day’s work and
lies calm and easy in the red sky, El-ahrairah and his
children and his children’s children come out of their
holc<^ and feed and play m his sight, for they are his friends
and he lias promised them that they can never be destroyed.’

42 the journey

Bigwig and Dandelion were staring out from the sheer edge
of a high bank, and below the bank ran a stream. It was in
fact the httle river Enborne, twelve to fifteen feet wide and
at this time of year two or three feet deep with spring rain,
but to the rabbits it seemed immense, such a river as they
had never imagined. The moon had almost set and the night
was now dark, but they could see the water faintly shimng
as it flowed and could just make out, on the further side, a
thm belt of nut-trees and alders Somewhere beyond, a
plover called three or four times and was silent.

One by one, most of the others came up, stopped at the
bank and looked at the water without speaking A chilly
breeze was moving and several of them trembled where they
sat

‘Well, this IS a nice surprise. Hazel,’ said Bigwig at length.
‘Or were you expecting this when you took us into the
wood^’

Hazel realized wearily that Bigwig was probably going to
be troublesome. He was certainly no coward, but he was
hkely to remain steady only as long as he could see his way
clear and be sure of what to do To him, perplexity was
worse than danger, and when he was perplexed he usually
grew angry The day before, Fiver’s warning had troubled
hun, and he had spoken in anger to the Threarah and left
the Owsla Then, while he Was in an uncertain mood about
the idea of leaving the warren. Captain Holly had appeared
in capital time to be attacked and to provide a perfect reason
for their departure Now, at the sight of the river. Bigwig’s
assurance was leakmg again and unless he. Hazel, could
restore it in some way, they were likely to be in for trouble.
He thought of the Threarah and his wily courtesy.

‘ I don’t know what we should have done without you just
now, Bigwig,’ he said ‘What was that animal^ Would it
have killed us ^ ’

‘A Icndrij’ said Bigwig ‘I’ve heard about them in the
Oi\sla They’re not really dangerous They can’t catch a
rabbit that runs, and nearly always you can smell them
coming. Tliey’re fimny things: I’ve heard of rabbits living

THE LENDRI AND THE RIVER 43

almost on top of them and commg to no harm But they’re
best avoided, all the same They’ll dig out rabbit kittens and
they’ll kill an injured rabbit if they find one They’re one of
the Thousand, all right I ought to have guessed from the
smell, but it was new to me ’

'It had killed before it met us/ said Blackberry wath a
shudder ' I sa^v the blood on its hps ’

'A rat, perhaps, or pheasant chicks Lucky for us it had
killed, otherwose it might have been quicker Still, fortun-
ately we did the right thmg We really came out of it very
well,’ said Bigwag

Fiver came limping down the path with Pipkin They, too,
checked and stared at the sight of the nver

'What do you think we ought to do now. Fiver asked
Hazel

Fiver looked down at the water and twitched his
ears

'We shall have to cross it,’ he said 'But I don’t think I
can swim. Hazel I’m worn out, and Pipkin's a good deal
worse than I am ’

'Cross it^’ cned Bigwig 'Cross it^ Who’s going to cross
it^ What do you want to cross it for*^ I never heard such
nonsense ’

Like all wild animals, rabbits can swim if they have to
and some even swim when it smts them Rabbits have been
known to hve on the edge of a wood and regularly swim a
brook to feed m the fields beyond But most rabbits avoid
swimmmg and certainly an exhausted rabbit could not
swim the Enbome

'I don’t want to jump in there,’ said Speedwell

'Wriiy not just go along the bank^’ asked Hawkbit

Hazel suspected that if Fiver felt they ought to cross the
nver, it might be dangerous not to But how were the others
to be persuaded ^ At this moment, as he was still wondermg
what to say to them, he suddenly realized that something
had hghtened his spirits What could it be ^ A smelP A
sound^ Then he knew Near-by, across the nver, a lark had
begun to twitter and chmb It was mommg A blackbird

44 the journey

called one or two deep, slow notes and was followed by a
wood-pigeon Soon they were in grey twilight and could see
that the stream bordered the farther edge of the wood. On
the other side lay open fields.

8. The Grossing

The centurion . . commanded that they which could swim should

cast themselves first into the sea and get to land And the rest, some
on hoards and some on broken pieces of the ship And so it came to
pass, that they escaped all safe to land

The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 27 ,

The top of the sandy bank was a good, six feet above the
water From where they sat, the rabbits could look straight
ahead upstream, and downstream to their left. Evidently
there were nesting holes in the sheer face below theni, for as
the hght grew they saw three or four martins dart out over
the stream and away into the fields beyond. In a short time
one returned with his beak full, and they could hear the
nestlings squeaking as he flew out of sight beneath their
feet The bank did not extend far in either direction. Up-
stream, it sloped down to a grassy path between the trees
and the water This followed the Ime of the river, which ran
straight from almost as far away as they could see, flowing
smoothly without fords gravel shallows or plank bridges.
Immediately below them lay a wide pool and here the
water was^ almost still. Away to their left, the bank sloped
down again into clumps of alder, among which the stream
could be heard chattering over gravel. There was a glimpse
of barbed ■svne stretched across the water and they guessed
that this must surround a cattle-wade, hke the one in the
htllc brook near the home warren

Hazel looked at the path upstream. ‘There’s grass down
there,’ lie said. ‘Let’s go and feed.’

THE CROSSINCf

45

TJuy scrambk cl (Jo\sn the bank and set to nibbhnq beridc
the water Between them and the stream lUcIf stood fn!f-
grown clumps of purple loosestrife and flcabnnc, \ Inch
%\mild not flow tr for nc"*rl^ (wo months vet Tliconlv blooms

V ere a few carlj me idow-swcrt and a p itch of pml butter-
bun Looking bark at the fact of the Innl thr\ could
that it V ns m fact dotted thicl 1> with inartuti* holes Di'^re
was a narrow foreshore at the fool of the little chtTand this

V ns littered with the rubbish of the colon) -stirJ droppuu s,
feathers, a brol^en egg and » dead nestling oi two 'jlic
martins were now coming and going in numbers o\er the

46 the journey

*NOj I’m not/ answered Hazel firmly. H think we ought
to stay here until ni-Fnth That’ll give everyone a chance to
rest and then we can swim across to those fields ’

Bigwig was about to reply, but Blackberry spoke first.
‘Bigwig/ he said, ‘why don’t you swim over now, and
then go out into the field and have a look round ^ The wood
may not stretch very far one way or the other. You could see
from there; and then we might know which would be the
best way to go ’

‘Oh well/ said Bigwig rather grudgingly, ‘I suppose
there’s some sense in that I’ll swim the embleer'' nver as
many times as you hke Always glad to oblige.’

Without the slightest hesitation, he took two hops to the
water, waded in and swam across the deep, still pool They
watched him puU himself out beside a flowering clump of
figwort, grippmg one of the tough stems in his teeth, shake a
shower of drops out of his fur and scutter into the alder
bushes A moment later, between the nut-trees, they saw
him running off into the field.

‘I’m glad he’s with us,’ said Hazel to Silver. Again he
thought wryly of the Threarah ‘He’s the fellow to find out
all we need to know. Oh, I say, look, he’s coming back
already ’

Bigwig was racing back across the field, looking more
agitated than he had at any time smce the encounter with
Captain Holly. He ran into the water almost headlong and
paddled over fast, leaving an arrow-head ripple on the calm,
brown surface. He was speakmg as he jerked himself out on
the sandy foreshore

‘Weh, Hazel, if I were you I shouldn’t wait until m-
Frith I should go now. In fact, I think you’ll have to.’
‘Why'^*’ asked Hazel.

‘ There’s a large dog loose in the wood ’

Hazel started ‘What? ’ he said. ‘ How do you Icn nw ? ’
irVhcn you get mto the field you can see the wood sloping
dowm to the river Parts of it are open I saw the dog
crossing a clearing It was traihng a chain, so it must have
* Stinking - the v. ord for the smell of a fox

THE CROSSING

47

broken loose It may be on the lendn’s scent, but the lendri
will be underground by now What do you think will
happen when it picks up our scent, running from one side of
tlie wood to the other, with dew on it^ Come on, let^s get
over quickly *

Hazel felt at a loss In front of him stood Bigwig, sodden
wet, undaunted, single-minded - the very picture of
decision At his shoulder was Fiver, silent and twitching He
saw Blackberry watching him intently, waiting for his lead
and disregarding Bigwig’s Then he looked at Pipkm,
huddled mto a fold of sand, more panic-stricken and help-
less than any rabbit he had ever seen At this moment, up
m the wood, there broke out an excited yelping and a jay
began to scold

Hazel spoke through a kind of hght-headed trance ‘Well,
you’d better get on, then,’ he said, ‘and anyone else who
wants to Personally, I’m going to wait until Fiver and
Pipkin are fit to tackle it ’

‘You silly blockhead * ’ cried Bigwig ‘ We’ll all be finished *
We’ll

‘Don’t stamp about,’ said Hazel ‘You may be heard
What do you suggest then ^ ’

‘Suggest^ There’s no suggesting to be done Those who
can swim, swim The others will have to stay here and hope
for the best The dog may not come ’

‘ I’m afraid that won’t do for me I got Pipkin into this and
I’m going to get him out ’

‘Well, you didn’t get Fiver mto it, did you^ He got you
into It ’

Hazel could not help noticmg, with reluctant admiration,
that although Bigwig had lost his temper, he was apparently
ui no hurry on his own account and seemed less frightened
than any of them Looking round for Blackberry, he saw
that he had left them and was up at the top of the pool,
where the narrow beach tailed away into a gravel spit His
paws were half-buried m the wet gravel and he was nosing
at something large and flat on the water-line It looked hke
a piece of wood

48 THE JOURNEY

‘Blackberry,’ he said, ‘can you come back here a
moment?’

Blackberry looked up, tugged out his paws and ran back.

‘ Hazel,’ he said quicldy, ‘ that’s a piece of flat wood - like
that piece that closed the gap by the Green Loose above the
warren - you remember^ It must have drifted down the
river. So it floats. We could put Fiver and Pipkin on it and
make it float again It might go across the river. Can you
understand"^’

Hazel had no idea what he meant Blackberry’s flood of
apparent nonsense only seemed to draw tighter the mesh
of danger and bewilderment As though Bigwig’s angry
impatience, Pipkin’s terror and the approaching dog were
not enough to contend with, the cleverest rabbit among
them had evidently gone out of his mmd He felt close to
despair

‘ Fnthrah, yes, I see ! ’ said an excited voice at his ear It
was Fiver, ‘^uick, Hazel, don’t wait! Come on, and brmg
Pipkin I’

It was Blackberry who bulked the stupefied Pipkin to his
feet and forced him to limp the few yards to the gravel spit.
The piece of wood, hardly bigger than a large rhubarb leaf,
was Hghtly aground Blackberry almost drove Pipkin on to
it with his claws Pipkm crouched shivering and Fiver
followed him aboard.

‘Who’s strong^’ said Blackberry, ‘Bigwig! Silver! Push it
out!’

No one obeyed him. AU squatted, puzzled and uncertam.
Blackberry buried his nose m the gravel under the landward
edge of the board and raised it, pushing The board tipped
Pipkin squealed and Fiver lowered his head and splayed his
claws Then the board righted itself and drifted out a few
feet into the pool with the two rabbits hunched upon it,
rigid and motionless It rotated slowly and they found them-
sch'^cs staring back at their comrades.

‘Frith and Inle!’ said Dandelion ‘They’re sitting on the
water* "Why don’t they sink?’

They’re sitting on the wood and the wood floats, can’t

THE GROSSING 49

you see^’ said Blackberry *Now we swim over ourselves
Gan we start, Hazel ^ ’

During the last few minutes Hazel had been as near to
losmg his head as he was ever to come He had been at his
wits’ end, with no reply to Bigwig’s scornful impatience
except his readiness to risk his own life m company with
Fiver and Pipkin He still could not understand what had
happened, but at least he realized that Blackberry wanted
him to show authority His head cleared
^ Swim,’ he said * Everybody swim ’

He watched them as they went in Dandelion swam as
well as he ran, swiftly and easily Silver, too, was strong The
others paddled and scrambled over somehow and as they
began to reach the other side. Hazel plunged The cold
water penetrated his fur almost at once His breath came
short and as his head went under he could hear a faint
grating oi gravel along the bottom He paddled across
awkwardly, his head tilted high out of the water, and made
for the figwort As he pulled himself out, he looked round
among the sopping rabbits m the alders
‘Where’s Bigwig^’ he asked

‘Behind you,’ answered Blackberry, his teeth chattermg
Bigwig was still m the water, on the other side of the pool
He had swum to the raft, put his head against it and was
pushmg It forward with heavy thrusts of his back legs ‘ Keep
still,’ Hazel heard him say in a quick, gulping voice Then he
sank But a moment later he was up again and had thrust
his head over the back of the board As he kicked and
struggled, it tilted and then, while the rabbits watched from
the bank, moved slowly across the pool and grounded on the
opposite side Fiver pushed Pipkin on to the stones and
Bigwig waded out beside them, shivering and breatlilcss
‘I got the idea once Blackberry had shown us,’ he said
But It’s hard to push it when you’re in the water I hope it’s
not long to sunrise I’m cold Let’s get on ’

There was no sign of the dog as they made haste through
the alders and up the field to tlic first hedgerow Most of
them had not understood Blackbcrr>^’s discovery of the raft

50 THE JOURNEY

and at once forgot it. Fiver, however, came over to where
Blackberry was lying against the stem of a blackthorn in the

hedge. . , ct j

‘You saved Pipkin and me, didn’t you?’ he said. I don

think Pipkin’s got any idea what really happened j but

have.’ ^ tT >

‘ I admit it was a good idea,’ replied Blackberry. Let s

remember it It might come in handy again some time.

9. The Grow and the Beanfield

With the beanflower’s boon,

And the blackbird’s tune.

And May, and June!

Robert Browning De Gusiibas

The sun rose while they were still lying in the thorn Already
several of the rabbits were asleep, crouched uneasily between
the thick steins, aware of the chance of danger but too tired
to do more than trust to luck. Hazel, looking at them, felt
almost as insecure as he had on the river bank A hedgerow
in open fields was no place to remain all day. But where
could they go? He needed to know more about their sur-
roundings He moved along the hedge, feehng the breeze
from the south and looking for some spot where he could sit
and scent it without too much risk. The smells that came
down from the higher ground might tell him something.

He came to a wide gap which had been trodden into mud
by cattle. He could see them grazing in the next field,
further up the slope. He went cautiously out into the field,
squatted down against a clump of thistles and began to smell
the wind Now that he was clear of the hawthorn scent of the
hedge and the reek of cattle dimg, he became fully aware of
\shat had already been drifting into his nostrils while he was
lying among the thorn. There was only one smell on the

52

THE JOURNEY

True, rabbits could not cat these plants: he could smell that.
But they could lie safely among them for as long as they
liked, and they could move thiough them easily and unseen.
Hazel determined tlicn and thcic to bring the rabbits up
to the beanfield to shelter and icst until the evening. He
ran back and found the otheis where he had left them.
Bigwig and Silver were awake, but all the rest were still
napping uneasily.

‘Not asleep. Silver^’ he said.

‘It’s .too dangerous, Hazel,’ replied Silver. ‘I’d like to
sleep as much as anyone, but if we all sleep and something
comes, who’s going to spot it?’

‘I know. I’ve found a place where we can sleep safely for
as long as we like ’

‘ A burrow ^ ’

‘ No, not a burrow. A great field of scented plants that wall
cover us, sight and smell, until we’re rested. Gome out here
and smell it, if you like.’

Both rabbits did so. ‘You say you’ve seen these plants?’
said Bigwig, turning his ears to catch the distant rustling of
the beans

, ‘Yes, they’re only just over the top Come on, let’s get the
others moving before a man comes with a hrududu or they’ll
scatter all over the place ’

Silver roused the others and began to coax them into the
field They stumbled out drowsily, responding with reluc-
ta^e to his repeated assurance that it was ‘ only a httle way’.

They became widely separated as they struggled up the
slope Silver and Bigwig led the way, with Hazel and Buck-
orn a s ort distance behind The rest idled along, hopping
ew yar s and then pausing to nibble or to pass droppings
on e warm, sunny grass Silver was almost at the crest
w en su enly, from half-way up, there came a high
screaming - the sound a rabbit makes, not to call for help
p; V enemy, but simply out of terror. Fiver and

behind the others, and conspicuously under-

’ were being attacked by the crow. It had
Tractor - or any motor

THE CROW AND THE BEANFIEDD 53

flown low along the ground Then, pouncing, it had aimed a
blow of its great bill at Fiver, who just managed to dodge m
time Now it was leaping and hopping among the grass
tussocks, striking at the two rabbits with terrible darts of its
head Crows aim at the eyes and Pipkin, sensing this, had
buned his head m a clump of rank grass and was trymg to
burrow farther m It was he who was screaming
Hazel covered the distance down the slope in a few
seconds He had no idea what he was gomg to do and if the
crow had ignored him he would probably have been at a loss
But by dashmg up he distracted its attention and it turned
on him He swerved past it, stopped and, looking back, saw
Bigwig come racing m from the opposite side The crow
turned again, struck at Bigwig and missed Hazel heard its
beak hit a pebble m the grass with a sound like a snail-shell
when a thrush beats it on a stone As Silver followed Bigwig,
It recovered itself and faced him squarely Silver stopped
short m fear and the crow seemed to dance before him, its
great, black wings flapping in a horrible commotion It was
just about to stab when Bigwig ran straight into it from
behind and knocked it sideways, so that it staggered across
the turf with a harsh, raucous cawing of rage

‘Keep at it*’ cried Bigwig ‘Come m behind it* They’re
cowards* They only attack helpless rabbits ’

But already the crow was malung off, flying low with slow,
heavy wing-beats They watched it clear the farther hedge
and disappear mto the wood beyond the nver In the silence
there was a gentle, tearing sound as a grazing cow moved
nearer

Bigwig strolled over to Pipkin, muttering a nbald Owsla
lampoon

*Hoi, hot u emblecr Hratr,

M^saton ttle hraka van * ^

‘ Come on, Hlao-roo,’ he said ‘ You can get your head out
now Having quite a day, aren’t wc ^ ’

Hoi, the stinking Thousand, \Vc meet tlicm even when w estop
to pass our droppings *

54* the journey

He turned away and Pipldn tried to follow him. Hazel
remembered that Fiver had said he thought he was injured.
Now, as he watched him limping and staggering up the
slope, It occurred to him that he might actually be wounded
in some way He kept tiymg to put his ncar-sidc front paw
to the ground and then drawing it up again, hopping on
three legs

‘I’ll have a look at him as soon as they’re settled under
cover,’ he thought. ‘Poor little chap, he won’t be able to get
much further like that.’

At the top of the slope Buckthorn was already leading the
v/ay into the beanficld Hazel reached the hedge, crossed a
narrow turf verge on the other side and found himself
looking straight down a long, shadowy aisle between tw'O rows
of beans The earth w'as soft and crumbling, with a scatter-
ing of the weeds that are found in cultivated fields -
fumitory, charlock, pimpernel and ma'^nveed, all growing in
the green gloom under the bean leaves As the plants moved
in the breeze, the sunhght dappled and speckled back and
forth over the browm soil, the white pebbles and weeds. Yet
in this ubiquitous restlessness there was nothing alarming,
for the whole forest took part in it and the only sound was
the soft, steady movement of the leaves Far along the bean-
row, Hazel glimpsed Buckthorn’s back and followed Viim
into the depths of the field

Soon after, all the rabbits had come together in a kind of
hollow- Far aroimd, on all sides, stood the orderly rows of
beans, securing them against hostile approach, roofing them
over and covering their scent They could hardly have been
saferunderground. Even a little food couldbe had at a pinch,
for here and there were a few pale twists of grass and here
and there a dandelion

‘We can sleep here all day,’ said Hazel. ‘But I suppose
one of us ought to stay awake ; and if I take the first turn
it’ll give me a chance to have a look at your paw, Hlao-roo.
I think you’ve got something in it.’

Pipkin, who was lying on his left side, breathing qmckly
and heavily, rolled over and stretched out his front paw.

THE ROAD AND THE COMMON 55

underside turned upwards Hazel peered closely into the
thick^ coarse hair (a rabbit’s foot has no pads) and after a
few moments saw what he had expected - the oval shank of
a snapped-off tliorn sticking out through the skin There
was a little blood and the flesh was torn

‘You’ve got a big thorn in there, Hlao,’ he said ‘No
wonder you couldn’t run We’ll have to get it out ’

Getting the thorn out was not easy, for the foot had
become so tender that Pipkm winced and pulled away even
from Hazel’s tongue But after a good deal of patient effort
Hazel succeeded in working out enough of the stump to get a
gnp with his teeth The thorn came out smoothly and the
wound bled The spine was so long and thick that Hawkbit,
who happened to be close by, woke Speedwell to have a look
at it

‘Frith above, Pipkm*’ said Speedwell, smffing at the
thorn where it lay on a pebble ‘You’d better collect a few
more like that then you can make a notice board and
frighten Fiver You might have poked the lendri’s eye out
for us, if you’d only known ’

‘Lick the place, Hlao,’ said Hazel ‘Lick it until it feels
better and then go to sleep ’

10 The Road and the Common

Timorous answered, that they had got up that difficult place
but, said he, the further we go, the more danger we meet with,
wherefore We turned, and are going back again

John Bunyan Tlie Pilgrim’s Progress

After some time, Hazel woke Buckthorn Then he scratched
a shallow nest m the earth and slept One watch succeeded
another through the day, though how the rabbits judged the
passmg of the time is something that civilized human beings
have lost the power to feel Creatures that have neither

5$ THE JOURNEY

clocks nor books are alive to all manner of knowledge about
time and the weather; and about direction too, as we know
from their extraordinary migratory and homing journeys.
The changes m the warmth and dampness of the soil, the
falling of the sunlight patches, the altering movement of the
beans in the light wind, the direction and strength of the air
currents along the ground — all these were perceived by the
rabbit awake.

The sun was beginning to set when Hazel woke to see
Acorn listening and sniffing in the silence, between two
white-skinned flints The light was thicker, the breeze had
dropped and the beans were still. Pipkin was stretched out
a little way away. A yellow-and-black burying beetle,
crawling across the white fur of his belly, stopped, waved its
short, curved antennae and then moved on again. Hazel
grew tense with sudden misgiving. He knew that these
beetles come to dead bodies, on which they feed and lay their
eggs They will dig away the earth from under the bodies of
small creatures, such as shrew-mice and fallen fledglings,
and then lay their eggs on them before covering them with
soil. Surely Pipkin could not have died in his sleep ? Hazel
sat up quickly. Acorn started and turned towards him and
the beetle scumed away over the pebbles as Pipkin moved
and woke.

* How’s the paw ’ said Hazel Pipkin put it to the ground.
Then he stood on it.

‘It feels much better,’ he said ‘I think I shall be able to
go as well as the others now. They won’t leave me behind,
will they?’

Hazel rubbed his nose behind Pipkin’s ear. ‘ISo one’s
going to leave anyone else behind,’ he said. ‘If you had to
stay, I’d stay with you. But don’t pick up any more thorns,
Hlao-roo, because we may have to go a long way ’

The next moment all the rabbits leapt up in panic From
close at hand the sound of a shot tore across the fields. A
peewit rose screaming. The echoes came back in waves, hke
a pebble rolhng round a box, and from the wood across the
nver came the clattering of wood-pigeons’ wings among the

THE ROAD AND THE COMMON 57

branches In an instant the rabbits were running m all
directions through the bean-rows, each one tearing by
instinct towards holes that were not there
Hazel stopped short on the edge of the beans Looking
about him, he could see none of the others He waited,
trembling, for the next shot but there was silence Then he
felt, vibrating along the ground, the steady tread of a man
going away beyond the crest over which they had come that
mormng At that moment Silver appeared, pushing his way
tlirough the plants close by

hope It’s the crow, don’t you^’ said Silver
hope no one’s been silly enough to bolt out of this field,’
answered Hazel ‘They’re all scattered How can we find
them^’

H don’t tlnnk we can,’ said Silver ‘We’d bettei go back to
where we were They’ll come m time ’

It was in fact a long time before all the rabbits had come
back to the hollow in the middle of the field As he waited,
Hazel reahzed more fully than ever how dangerous was
their position, without holes, wandering m country they
did not know The lendri, the dog, the crow, the marksman
- they had been lucky to escape them How long would their
luck hold^ Would they really be able to travel on as far as
Fiver’s high place - wherever it might be*^

‘I’d settle for any decent, dry bank, myself,’ he thought,
as long as there was some grass and no men with guns And
the sooner we can find one the better ’

Hawkbit was the last to return and as he came up Hazel
set off at once He looked cautiously out from among the
beans and then darted into the hedgerow The wind, as he
stopped to sniff it, was reassuring, carrying only the scents
of evemng dew, may and cow-dung He led the way into the
next field, a pasture and here they all fell to feeding,
uibblmg their way over the grass as easily as though their
Warren were close by

When he was half-way across the field, Hazel became
aware of a hrududu approaching very fast on the other side
of the fui ther hedge It was small and less noisy than the

58

THE JOURNEY

farm tractor which he had sometimes watched fiom the
edge of the primrose wood at home. It passed m a flash of
man-made, unnatural colour, glittering here and there and
brighter than a winter holly tree. A few moments later came
the smell of petrol and exhaust Hazel stared, twitching his
nose He could not undei stand how the hrududu could move
so quickly and smoothly through the fields. Would it return ?
Would It come through the fields faster than they could run,
and hunt them down?

As he paused, wondering what was best to be done. Big-
wig came up.

‘There’s a road there, then,’ he said. ‘That’ll give some of
them a surprise, won’t it^’

‘A road^’ said Hazel, thinking of the lane by the notice-
board ‘ How do you know ? ’

‘Well, how do you suppose a hrududu can go that fast^
Besides, can’t you smell it?’

The smell of warm tar was now plain on the evening air.

I ve never smelt that in my life,’ said Hazel with a touch
of irritation

‘Ah,’ said Bigwig, ‘but then you were never sent out steal-
mg lettuces for the Threarah, were you? If you had been,
you’d have learned about roads. There’s nothing to them,
really, as long as you let them alone by mght. They’re elil
then, all right.’

‘You’d better teach me, I think,’ said Hazel. ‘I’U go up
with you and we’ll let the others follow.’

through the hedge. Hazel looked
tb^V.P astomsliment For a moment he thought

straiB-ht bpt^ river - black, smooth and

in tar a Then he saw the gravel embedded

f ^ over the surface,

stronv smpli ^ f ’natural,’ he said, sniffing the strange,
there^’ How did it come

and then^hp Big^vig. ' They put that stuff the:

"vhat dse ™ - faster than we can, ar

^ t-ise can run faster than we ? ’

THE ROAD AND THE COMMON 59

*It’s dangerous then^ They can catch us^’

*No, that’s what’s so odd They don’t take any notice of
us at all I’ll show you, if you like ’

The other rabbits ^vere beginning to reach the hedge as
Bigwig hopped down the bank and crouched on the verge
of the road From beyond the bend came the sound of
another approaching car Hazel and Silver watched tensely
The car appeared, flashing green and white, and raced
down tow’^ards Bigwig For an instant it filled the whole
world with noise and fear Then it was gone, and Bigwig’s
fur was blowing in the whack of wind that followed it down
the hedges He jumped back up the bank among the stanng
rabbits

‘See^ They don’t hurt you,’ said Bigwig ^As a matter of
fact, I don’t think they’re alive at all But I must adrmtT
can’t altogether make it out ’

As on the river bank, Blackberry had moved away and
was already down on the road on lus own account, snifling
out towards the middle, half-way between Hazel and the
bend They saw hun start and jump back to the shelter of the
bank

‘What IS it^’ said Hazel

Blackberry did not answer and Hazel and Bigwig hopped
towards him along the verge He was opemng and shutting
his mouth and licking his lips, much as a cat does when
something disgusts it

‘You say they’re not dangerous. Bigwig,’ he said quietly
‘But I think they must be, for all that ’

In the middle of the road was a flattened, bloody mass of
brown prickles and white fur, with small, black feet and
snout crushed round the edges The flies crawled upon it
and here and there the sharp points of gravel pressed up
through the flesh

said Blackberry ‘What harm does a yona do to
anything but slugs and beetles^ And what can eat a yona^’

‘ It must have come at night,’ said Bigwig
‘Yes, of course The yoml always hunt by night If you see
them by day they’ie dying ’

6o THE JOURNEY

‘I know. But what I’m trying to explain is that at night
the hrududil have great lights, brighter than Frith himself.
They draw creatures towards them and if they sliine on you,
you can’t see or think which way to go. Then the hrududu is
quite likely to crush you. At least, that’s what we were
taught in the Owsla. I don’t intend to try it.’ ^

‘Well, it will be dark soon,’ said Hazel. ‘Come on, lets
get across As far as I can see, this road’s no good to us at all.
Now that I’ve learnt about it, I want to get away from it as
soon as I can.’

By moonrise they had made their way through Newtown
churchyard, where a httle brook runs between the lawns
and under the path. Wandering on, they climbed a hill and
came to Newtown Common - a country of peat, gorse and
silver birch After the meadows they had left, this was a
strange, forbidding land Trees, herbage, even the soil - all
were unfamiliar They hesitated among the thiek heather,
unable to see more than a few feet ahead Their fur became
soaked with the dew. The ground was broken by rifts and
pits of naked, blaek peat, where water lay and sharp, white
stones, some as big as a pigeon’s, some as a rabbit’s skull,
glimmeied in the moonhght Whenever they reached one of
these rifts the rabbits huddled together, waiting for Hazel of
Bigwig to ehmb the further side and find a way forward.
Everywhere they came upon beetles, spiders and small
lizards which scurried away as they pushed through the
fibrous, resistant heather Once Buckthorn disturbed a
snake,' and leapt into the air as it whipped between his paws
to vanish down a hole at the foot of a birch.

The very plants were unknown to them - pink lousewort
with its sprays of hooked flowers, bog asphodel and the thin-
stemmed^ blooms of the sun-dews, rising above their hairy,
fly-catching mouths, all shut fast by mght. In this close
jungle all was silence They went more and more slowly,
and made long halts in the peat-cuts But if the heather
Itself was silent, the breeze brought distant night-sounds
acmss the open common. A cock crowed A dog ran barking
an a man shouted at it A little owl called ‘ Kee-wik, kee-

THE ROAD AND THE COMMON 6l

wik’ and something - a vole or a shrew - gave a sudden
squeal There was not a noise but seemed to tell of danger
Late in the mght, towards moonset. Hazel was looking up
from a cut where they were crouchmg to a httle bank above
As he was wondenng whether to climb up to it, to see
whether he could get a clear view ahead, he heard a move-
ment behind him and turned to find Hawkbit at his
shoulder There was something furtive and hesitant about
him and Hazel glanced at him sharply, wondenng for a
moment whether he could have sickness or poison on
him

‘ Er ~ Hazel,’ said Hawkbit, looking past him into the face
of the dreary, black cliff ‘ I - er - that is to say we r- er - feel
that we - well, that we can’t go on like this We’ve had
enough of it ’

He stopped Hazel now saw that Speedwell and Acorn
were behind him, hstemng expectantly There was a pause

‘Go on, Hawkbit,’ said Speedwell, ‘or shall

‘More than enough,’ said Hawkbit, with a kmd of foolish
importance

‘ Well, so have I,’ answered Hazel, ‘ and I hope there won’t
be much more Then we can all have a rest ’

‘We want to stop now,’ said Speedwell ‘We think it was
stupid to come so far ’

‘It gets worse and worse the further we go,’ said Acorn
Where are we going and how long will it be before some of
us stop running for good and all ^ ’

‘It’s the place that worries you,’ said Hazel ‘I don’t hke
It myself, but it won’t go on for ever ’

Hawkbit looked sly and shifty ‘We don’t beheve you
know where we are going,’ he said ‘You didn’t know about
the road, did you^ And you don’t know what there is in
front of us ’

Look here,’ said Hazel, ‘suppose you tell me what you
want to do and I’ll tell you what I think about it ’

‘We want to go back,’ said Acorn ‘We think Fiver was
wrong ’

How can you go back tlirough all we’ve come through^’

62

THE JOURKEY

replied Hazel. ‘And probably get billed for wounding an
Owsla officcrj if you ever do get back? Talk scnsCj for Frith’s
sake.’

‘ It wasn’t we who wounded Holly,’ said Speedwell.

‘You were there and Blackberry brought you there. Do
you think they won’t remember thaf^ Besides

Hazel stopped as Fiver approached, followed by Bigwig*

‘ Hazel,’ said Fiver, ‘ could you come up on the bank with
me for a few moments? It’s important.’

‘And while you’re there,’ said Bigwig, scowling round at
the others’ from under the great sheaf of fur on his head, ‘ I’U
just have a few w’^ords with these three. \\T:iy don’t you get
washed, Hawkbit? You look like the end of a lat’s tail left
in a trap. And as for you. Speedwell

Hazel did not wait to hear what Speedwell looked like.
Following Fiver, he scrambled up the lumps and shelves of
peat to the overhang of gravelly earth and thin grass that
topped them. As soon as Fiver had foimd a place to clamber
out, he led the way along the edge to the bank which Hazel
had been lookmg at before Hawkbit spoke to him. It stood
a few feet above the nodding, windy heather and was open
and grassy at the top. They climbed it and squatted dowm.
To their right the moon, smoky and yellow in thin night
cloud, stood over a clump of distant pine trees They looked
southward across the dismal waste Hazel waited for Fiver
to speak, but he remained sdent.

‘mat was it you wanted to say to me?’ asked Hazel at
last

Fiver made no reply and Hazel paused in perplexity,
fcrom below. Bigwig was just audible.

And you. Acorn, you dog-eared, dung-faced disgrace to a
gamekeeper’s gibbet; if I only had time to tell you

. 6 tnoon sailed free of the cloud and ht the heather more

neither Hazel nor Fiver moved from the top of
looking far out beyond the edge of the
away, along the southern skyhne, rose
hicrbplt^^ nndmd and fifty-foot ndge of the downs. On the
pomt, the beech trees of Gottington’s Clump were

THE ROAD AND THE COMMON 63

moving in a stronger wmd than that which blew across the
heather

‘Look^’ said Fivci suddenly ^That’s the place for us,
Hazel High, lonely hills, where the wind and the sound
carry and the ground’s as dry as straw in a barn That’s
where we ought to be That’s where we have to get to ’
Hazel looked at tlie dim, far-off lulls Obviously, the idea
of trying to reach them was out of the question It might well
prove to be all they could do to find their way across the
heather to some quiet field or copse-bank like those they had
been used to It was lucky that Fiver had not come out with
this foolish notion in front of any of the others, especially
as there was trouble enough already If only he could be
persuaded to drop it here and now, there would be no harm
done - unless indeed he had already said anything to Pipkin
‘No, I think that’s altogether too far, Fiver,’ he said
‘Think of the miles of danger Everyone’s frightened and
tired as it is What we need is to find a safe place soon, and
I’d rather succeed in doing what we can than fail to do what
we can’t ’

Fiver gave no sign of having heard him He seemed to be
lost in his own thoughts When he spoke again, it was as
though he were talking to himself ‘There’s a thick mist
between the hills and us I can’t see through it, but through
It we shall have to go Or into it, anyway ’

‘A mist?’ said Hazel ‘What do you mean?’

‘We’re m for some mysterious trouble,’ whispered Fiver,
and It’s not elil It feels more hke - hke imst Like being
deceived and losing our way ’

There was no mist around them The May night was clear
and fresh Hazel waited in silence and after a time Fiver said,
slowly and expressionlessly, ‘But we must go on, until we
reach the hills ’ His voice sank and became that of a sleep-
talker ‘Until we reach the hills The rabbit that goes back
through the gap will run his head into trouble That running
-* not wise That runmng - not safe Runmng - not He
trembled violently, kicked once or t^\ace and became quiet
In the hollow below, Bigwig seemed to be drawing to a

the journey

close ‘And now, you bunch of molc-snoutcd, muck-raking,
hutch-hearted sheep-ticks, get out of my sight sharp. Other-
wise I’ll He became inaudible again.

Hazel looked once more at the faint line of the hills. Then,
as Fiver stirred and muttered beside him, he pushed him
gently with one fore-paw and nuzzled his shoulder.

Fiver started ‘What was I saying, HazeH’ he asked ‘I’m
afraid I can’t remember I meant to tell you -’

Never mind,’ answered Hazel. ‘We’ll go down now. It’s
time we were getting them on again If you have any more
queer feelings like that, keep close to me I’ll look after you.’

1 1 . Hard Going

Then Sir Beaumains . rode all that ever he might ride through
marshes and fields and great dales, that many times . he plunged
over the head in deep mires, for he knew not the way, but took the
gainest way m that woodness . And at the last him happened to
come to a fair green way

Malory Le Morte d’ Arthur

When Hazel and Fiver reached the floor of the hollow they
found Blackberry waiting for them, crouching on the peat
and mbbling at a fe\v brown stalks of sedge-grass

happened? Where are the

‘Over there,’ answered Blackberry ‘There’s been a fear-
«;rratrTr+v. Hawkbit and Speedwell that he’d

HnwW «bey him And when

he wanted to know who was Chief Rabbit,
^ ^ It seems a nasty busmess Who ts Chief

r or Bigwig ? ’

tlm ^ ^^'^ored Hazel, ‘but Bigwig’s certainly

SuWn’tT go biti^Hawkbif he

would havelLrthat^if^

hat if they d been allowed to talk for a bit.

HARD GOING

65

Now Bigwig^s put their backs up, and they’ll think they’ve
got to go on because he makes them I want them to go on
because they can see it’s the only thing to do There are too
few of us for giving orders and biting people Frith m a fog*
Isn’t there enough trouble and danger already^’

They went over to the far end of the pit Bigwig and Silver
were talkmg with Buckthorn under an overhanging broom
Near-by, Pipkin and Dandelion were pretending to feed on a
patch of scrub Some way away. Acorn was making a great
business of licking Hawkbit’s throat, while Speedwell
watched

‘Keep still if you can, poor old chap,’ said Acorn, who
obviously wanted to be overheard ‘Just let me clean the
blood out Steady, now * ’ Hawkbit winced in an exaggerated
manner and backed away As Hazel came up, aU the rabbits
turned and stared at lum expectantly
‘Look,’ said Hazel, ‘I know there’s been some trouble,
but the best thing will be to try to forget it This is a bad
place, but we’ll soon get out of it ’

‘Do you really think we will^’ asked Dandelion
Tf you’ll follow me now,’ replied Hazel desperately, ‘I’ll
have you out of it by sunrise ’

‘ If I don’t,’ he thought, ' they’ll very likely tear me to bits
and much good may it do them ’

For the second tune he made his way out of the pit, and
the others followed The weary, frightemngjourney began
^gain, broken only by alarms Once a white owl swept
silently overhead, so low that Hazel saw its dark eyes looking
into Ins own But either it was not huntmg or he was too big
to tackle, for it disappeared over tlie heather, and although
he waited motionless for some time, it did not return Once
f^andchon struck the smell of a stoat and they all joined him,
wluspering and smiling over the ground But the scent was
old and after a time they went on again In this low iinder-
gro\vth their disorgamzed progress and uneven, differing
rhythms of movement delayed them still more than in the
wood There were continual stampings of alarm, pausing,
freezing to the spot at the sound of movement real or

66 THE JOURNEY

imagined. It was so daik tliat Ha7cl seldom knew for certain
whether he was leading or wlicthcr Bigwig or Silver might
not be ahead. Once, hearing an unaccountable noise in
front of him, winch ceased on the instant, he kept still for a
long time, and when at last he moved cautiously forwaid.
found Silver crouching behind a tussock of cock’s-foot for
fear of the sound of his own appioacb. All was confusion.
Ignorance, clambering and exJiaustion Throughout the bad
dream of the mght’s journey, Pipkm seemed to be always
close beside lum Though each of the others v^anished and
reappeared like fragments floating round a pool, Pipkin
never left him, and lus need for encouragement became at
last Hazel’s only support against his own weariness.

‘Not far now, Hlao-roo, not far now,’ he kept muttering,
until he realized that what he said had become meaningless,
a mere refrain He was not spealdng to Pipkin oi even to
himself He was talking in his sleep, or something veiy near
it

At last he saw the first of the dawn, like light faintly per-
ceived round a corner at the far end of an unknown burrow,
and in the same moment a yellow-hammer sang. Hazel’s
feehngs were hke those which might pass through the mind
of a defeated general. Where were his followers exactly? He
hoped, not far away But were they^ All of them? Where
had he led them? What was he going to do now ? What if an
enemy appeared at this moment? He had answers to none
of these questions and no spirit left to force lumself to think
about them Behind him, Pipkin shivered in the damp and
he turned and nuzzled him; much as the general, with
nothing left to do, might fall to considering the welfare of
his servant, simply because the servant happened to be

The light grew stronger and soon he could see that a httle
way ahead there was an open track of bare gravel He
hmped out of the heather, sat on the stones and shook the
wet from his fur. He could see Fiver’s hills plainly now,
greemsh-grey and seermng close m the rain-laden air He
cou even pick out the dots of furze bushes and stunted yew

HARD GOING 67

trees on the steep slopes As he gazed at them, he heard an
excited voice farther down the track

‘He^s done it' Didn’t I tell you he’d do it^’

Hazel turned his head and saw Blackberry on the path
He was bedraggled and exhausted, but it was he who was
speaking Out of the heather behind him came Acorn,
Speedwell and Bucktliorn All four labbits were now staring
straight at him He wondered why Then, as they ap-
proached, he realized that they were looking not at lum, but
past him at sometlung farther off He turned round The
gravel tiack led downhill into a narrow belt of silver birch
and rowan Beyond was a thin hedge, and beyond that, a
green field between two copses They had reached the other
side of the common

‘ Oh, Hazel/ said Blackberry, coming up to him round a
puddle in the gravel ‘ I was so tired and confused, I actually
began to wonder whether you knew where you were going
I could hear you in the heather, saying “Not far now” and
It was annoying me I thought you were making it up I
should have known bettei Fritlirah, you’re what I call a
Chief Rabbit*’

‘Well done, Hazel-rah * ’ said Buckthorn ‘Well done * ’
Hazel did not 1 now what to reply He looked at them m
silence and it was Acorn who spoke next

‘Come on*’ he said ‘Who’s going to be first into that
fields I can still run ’ He was off, slowly enough, down the
slope, but when Hazel stamped for him to stop he did so at
once

‘Where are the others'^’ said Hazel ‘Dandchon^

Bigwigp *

At that moment Dandelion appeared out of the heather
and sat on the path, lookmg at the field He was folloivcd
first by Hawkbit and then by Fiver Hazel was watclung
^ner as he took in the sight of the field, when Buckthorn
drcNv lus attention back to the foot of the slope

Look, Hazcl-rah,’ he said, ‘Silver and Big\vjg arc dowm
there Thcy^’rc waiting for us *

Silver’s light-grcy fur shouted up plainly against a low

the journey

spiay of gorse, but Hazel could not see Bigwig until he sat
up and ran towards them.

‘Is everybody here, Hazel?’ he asked.

^ Of course they are/ answered Blackbeny. ‘I tell you,
he^s what I call a Chief Rabbit. Hazel-rah, shall we -
Hazel-mA?’ interrupted Bigwig. ^ Chief Rabbil? Frith in a
wasps nest' The day I call you Chief Rabbit, Hazel, that’ll

fighting that day.’

indeed prove a momentous day - and a momentous
sp^c as well . but it lay in a future that none could foresee,
and tor the moment all that poor Hazel could do was to turn
aside with the disappointed feeling that after all, his part in

he crossing of the heather had not reaUy been a very
important one

Acorn,’ he said ‘You want to run - I’Jl

run with you

moments later they were under the silver birches

*e dm./ '“r “d

hedcre f ™ ferns and twigs, they scrambled through the

grass of the

12. The Stranger in the Field

young rabbits sedjing desirabJdr^*'^'^'^"’ *e form of

and .fp„„orf„, ' '

R M Lockley The Private Life of the Rabbit

To come to the end of a f Jm

cloud that hung over us hfr To feel the

dulled the heart and disperse - the cloud that

memory' This at leact • • happiness no more than a

by almost every litnn onejoy that must have been known

Herr* o u ^ uving creature.

oy who was waiting to be punished. But then,

THE STRANGER IN THE FIELD

69

unexpectedly, he finds that his fault has been ovei looked or
forgiven and at once the woi Id reappears in brilliant colours,
full of delightful prospects Here is a soldier who was wait-
ing, with a heavy heart, to suffer and die m battle But
suddenly the luck has changed There is news ' The war is
over and everyone bursts out singing* He will go home after
all* The spa^ro^vs m the ploughland were crouching m
ten 01 of the kestrel But she has gone, and they fly pell-mell
up the hedgeiow, frisking, chattering and perching where
they will The bitter winter had all the countiy m its grip
The hares on the down, stupid and torpid with cold, were
resigned to sinking further and further into the freezing
heart of snow and silence But now — who would have
dreamt it^ - the thaw is trickling, the great tit is ringing his
bell from the top of a bare lime tree, the earth is scented, and
the hares bound and skip in the warm wind Hopelessness
and reluctance are blown away like a fog and the dumb
solitude where they crept, a place desolate as a crack in the
ground, opens like a rose and stretches to the hills and the
sky

The tired rabbits fed and basked in the sunny meadow as
though they had come no further than from the bank at the
edge of the near-by copse The heather and the stumbhng
darkness were forgotten as though the sunrise had melted
them Bigwig and Hawkbit chased each other tlirough the
long grass Speedwell jumped over the httle brook that ran
down the middle of the field and when Acorn tried to follow
him and fell short, Silver joked with him as he scrambled out
and rolled him in a patch of dead oak leaves until he was
dry As the sun rose higher, shortening the shadows and
drawing the dew from the grass, most of the rabbits came
wandering back to the sun-flecked shade among the cow-
parsley along the edge of the ditch Here, Hazel and Fiver
were sitting with Dandelion under a flowering wild cheiry
The white petals spun down around them, covering the
grass and speckling their fur, while thirty feet above a
thrush sang 'Cherry dewj cherry dew Knee deep, knee
deep, knee deep ’

10

IMl jot I V

till': IS th( ^|{ ir’-ls*, ra't It* H /*'!?’ *

D.indi hoii la/iK *I Mipp" :* ». rW > 'U't' K 'vin*/
alonj^ tlir b nil s 'fin, I'lfl.fAipdi | 5i>\5 I ' p, Ibn in n»
p<iiticii!at hurry. Bill r < yol.'urh, ii;.>.vvb« * n* r/m
btfoic nnich hnnn t '

Fnii looln'd av ihoagh lu' v.*< r^' nli Jtn tn ", ' -b, bu' thru

shook hh enis and tutn<d to nihbhny .i' n tlojfl'dion.

‘That lools a t;ond haul , alou" ihf f d'o ih^ to*'-" up

there.' answered Hr ?< 1 ‘\'Thrt d'» )ou, s *y, I nf i ’ Sh'dl v.a

go up there nov. or shad v.e vr. h a !>it lon/o 5

Ihvcr heotated and tlu’u uulird, HtS't • ' ’-oti 'dank,
Ha7cr 1 ^ a

Well, thcK ’s no need to do an\ ^ nfui* th'yhux» u th* i'’'?*
said Bigwig ‘Thai sort of ihing’^ all light fa d'’*”',, hut not
for us ’

Stdlj wed bettci nial.e one 01 two scia.j' s, don't you
think? said Hazel. ‘Something to gss'c u'f '^lu iu r at a pinch.
Lets go up to the copse and look round. We might as v.cU
take our time and make quite sure where v.c'd like to have
them. We don’t want to have to do the work tv ice ’

Yes, that’s the style,’ said Big^vig ‘And i.hde sou’rc
omg that, 1 11 take Silver and Bucl.tliorn ht ic and have a
run down the fields beyond, just to get the he of the land
and make sure there isn’t anything dangcious.’

rhe three explorers set off beside the brook, tvhile Hazel
led the other rabbits across the field and up to the edge of the
woodland They went slowdy along the foot of tlic bank,
pushing m and out of the clumps of red campion and ragged
time to time one or another w'ould begin to
tbf‘ ?»• te gravelly bank, or venture a httlc way in among
thL nut-bushes to scuffle in the leaf-mould After

time tb,- sen seal ching and moving on quietly for some
the field ^ from which they could see that

and ontosur.?''”" ^;°^dencd out. Both on their own side
the hronk tI ^'’^od-edges cuiwed outwards, away from
^stance ° of a fan^i, bui some

* I don’t tbtnr^-^ stopped and they gathered round him.

1 makes much difference wheie we do a bit

THE STRANGER IN THE TIELD 7I

of scratching/ he said ‘It^s all good, so far as I can see Not
the slightest trace of ehl - no scent or tracks or droppings
That seems unusual, but it may be just that the home warren
attracted more ehl than other places Anyway, we ought to
do well here Now I’ll tell you what seems the right thing
to me Let’s go back a little way, between the woods, and
have a scratch near that oak tree there - just by that white
patch of sticchwort I know the farm’s a long way off, but
there’s no point in being nearer to it than we need Ajid if
we’re fairly r lose to the wood opposite, the trees will help to
break the wind a bit m winter ’

‘Splendid,’ said Blackberry *It’s going to cloud over, do
you see^ Ram before sunset and we’ll be in shelter Well,
let’s make a start Oh, look* There’s Bigwig coming back
along the bottom, and the other two with him ’

The three rabbits were returnmg down the bank of the
stream and had not yet seen Hazel and the others They
passed below them, into the narrower part of the field
between the two copses, and it was not until Acorn had been
sent half-way down the slope to attract their attention that
they turned and came up to the ditch

‘I don’t think there’s going to be much to trouble us here.
Hazel,’ said Bigwig ‘The farm’s a good way away and the
fields between don’t show any signs of ehl at all There’s a
man-track - m fact, there are several -* and they look as
though they were used a good deal Scent’s fresh and there
are the ends of those little wlute sticks that they bum m their
mouths But that’s all for the best, I reckon We keep away
from the men and the men frighten the ehl away ’

Why do the men come, do you suppose ^ ’ asked Fiver
‘Who knows why men do anythmg^ They may drive
cows or sheep m the fields, or cut wood in the copses Wliat
does it matter? I*d rather dodge a man than a stoat or a
fox ’

‘Well, that’s fine,’ said Hazel ‘You’ve found out a lot.
Bigwig, and all to the good We were just going to make some
scrapes along the bank there We’d better start The ram
'^on’t be long now, if I know anythmg about it ’

72 THE JOURNEY

Buck rabbits on their own seldom or never go in for
serious digging Tliis is the natural job of a doc making a
home for her litter before they aic born, and then he r buck
helps her. All the same, solitary bucks - if they can find no
existing holes to make use of - %m11 sometimes scratch out
short tunnels for shelter, although it is not woil: that they
tackle at all seriously. During the morning the digging
proceeded in a light-hearted and intermittent way. The bank
on each side of the oak tree was bare and consisted of a light,
gravelly soil. There ivcrc several false starts and fresh choices,
but by m-Frith they had three scrapes of a sort Hazel,
watching, lent help here and there and encouraged the
others Every so often he slipped back to look out over the
field and make sure that all was safe Only Fiver icmaincd
solitary. He took no part in the digging but squatted on the
edge of the ditch, fidgeting backwards and forwards, some-
times mbblmg and then starting up suddenly as though he
could hear some sound m the wood. After speaking to him
once or twice and receiving no reply, Hazel thought it best
to let him alone. The next time he left the digging he kept
away from Fiver and sat loolung at the bank, as though
entirely concerned with the work.

A httle while after m-Frith the sky clouded over thickly
The hght grew dull and they could smell rain approaching
rom the west The blue-tit that had been swinging on a
bramble, smgmg ‘Heigh, ho, go-and-get-another-bit-of-
moss, stopped his acrobatics and flew into the wood Hazel
was just wondering whether it would be worth while starting

Bigwig’s hole to Dandelion’s, when he
leit a stamp of warning from somewhere close by He turned
qmcMy. It was Fiver who had stamped and he was now
staring intently across the field.

corned rahh ^ outside the opposite

erectaTiH t ^ ^”-d gazing at them Its ears were

sLht the full attention of

haunches, in ftOl view The other
ained motionless Hazel, never taking his eyes

THE STRANGER IN THE FIELD 73

off it, heard three or four of the others coming up behind
him After a moment he said,

‘Blackberry^’

‘He’s down the hole,’ rephed Pipkin

‘Go and get him ’

Still the strange rabbit made no move The wind rose and
the long grass began to flutter and npple in the dip between
them From behind. Blackberry said,

‘You wanted me, HazeP’

‘T’m going over to speak to that rabbit,’ said Hazel ‘I
want you to come with me ’

‘ Can I come ^ ’ asked Pipkin

‘No, Hlao-roo We don’t want to frighten him Three’s
too many ’

‘Be careful,’ said Buckthorn, as Hazel and Blackberry set
off down the slope ‘ He may not be the only one ’

At several pomts the brook was narrow - not much wider
than a rabbit-run They jumped it and went up the opposite
slope

‘Just behave as if we were back at home,’ said Hazel H
don’t see how it can be a trap and anyway we can always
run ’

As they approached, the other rabbit kept still and
watched them intently They could see now that he was a
big fellow, sleek and handsome His fur shone and his claws
and teeth were in perfect condition Nevertheless, he did not
seem aggressive On the contrary, there was a curious, rather
tuinatural gentleness about the way m which he waited for
them to come nearer They stopped and looked at him from
^ httle distance

I don’t think he’s dangerous,’ whispered Blackberry ‘ I’ll
go^up to him first if you like ’

We’ll both go,’ replied Hazel But at this moment the
^her rabbit came towards them of his own accord He and
Wazel touched their noses together, sniffing and questiomng
silently The stranger had an imusual smell, but it was
certainly not unpleasant It gave Hazel an impression of
good feeding, of health and of a certain indolence, as though

74 THE JOURNEY

P^^pcrous country where

and a^rl f autocrat
evel ‘° Blackberry from his gi cat, brmra

kade. ?r? ^ ^‘'>eg'=d wanderer,

£«o sneakT,° « be the

^ ^ tlie other’s silence compelled

^Vc’ve come over the heather,’ he said.

of an enemv '‘h i‘ '°°'' "'“

‘YesCnh?ri'jr'.?'’'"'^ ^ P^«='=-

you come!’ ^ ^'^ded, ‘We saw

TheoThrr!hhT\^"®i°°’’ fi™iy-

answered, ‘Why noS°We'^ concern He paused and then
thmk there amenou^ of But I don’t

worried by the'new^th ■^PP^''®“dy the stranger was not
Ws warren^ Where was

cealed m the con<jf» o a many rabbits were con-

likely to be attacked now? Were they
He seemed de Sef ^^^anger’s manner told notlnng.
H.S latitude! P-f^dy friendly.

appearance, his unSirried air well-groomed

of bemg unaffected bv thr- having all he wanted and

all these presented hLcI '

hnri r.-, j .1 , . . With a nroblpm rir,Tn,« xt..* u.

he had no idea what it wL h ^ of trick,

at any rate, would be pefft!u® He decided that he himself,
,, ‘There are enough and plain.

kind offeterfemnee '=“miS, bm if w^mS My

all very welcome"lf you‘“ §« upset - you’re

tvtth you: that is. unless TolS ty

THE STRANGER IN THE FIELD 75

He set off down the slope Hazel and Blackberry, after
looking at each other for a moment, caught him up and
went beside him He moved easily, without haste and showed
less caution than they in crossing the field Hazel felt more
mystified than ever The other rabbit evidently had no fear
that they might set upon him, hrair to one, and kill him He
was ready to go alone among a crowd of suspicious strangers,
but what he stood to gam from this risk it was impossible to
guess Perhaps, thought Hazel wryly, teeth and claws would
make no impression on that great, firm body and shining
pelt

When they reached the ditch, all the other rabbits were
squatting together, watching their approach Hazel stopped
in front of them but did not know what to say If the
stranger had not been there, he would have given them an
account of what had happened If Blackberry and he had
driven the stranger across the field by force, he could have
handed him over for safe-keepmg to Bigwig or Silver But to
have him sitting beside him, looking his followers over m
silence and courteously waiting for someone else to speak
first - this was a situation beyond Hazel’s experience It was
Bigwig, straightforward and blunt as always, who broke the
tension

‘Who IS this, HazeP’ he said ‘Why has he come back
With you^’

‘I don’t know,’ answered Hazel, trying to look frank and
feeling foolish ‘He came of his own accord ’

‘Well, we’d better ask Aim, then,’ said Big^vig, with some-
thing like a sneer He came close to the stranger and smffed,
as Hazel had done He, too, was evidently affected by the
peculiar smell of prosperity, for he paused as though m
tincertainty Then, with a rough, abrupt air, he said, ‘Who
are you and what do you want ^ ’

‘My name is Cowslip,’ said the other ‘I don’t want any*
dung I hear you’ve come a long way ’

‘ Perhaps vve have,’ said Bigwig ‘We know how to defend
ourselves, too ’

*I’m sure you do,’ said Cowsbp, looking round at the

76 THE JOURNEY

mudstamed, bedraggled rabbits with an air of being too
polite to comment ‘But it can be hard to defend oneself
against the weather. There’s going to be ram and I don t
think your scrapes are finished.’ He looked at Bigwig, ^
though waiting for him to ask another question. Bigwig
seemed confused. Clcaily, he could make no more of the
situation than Hazel. There was silence except for the sound
of the rising wind. Above them, the branches of the oak ticc
were beginning to creak and sway. Suddenly, Fiver came
forward.

‘We don’t understand you,’ he said ‘It’s best to say so
and try to get things clear. Can we trust you"^ Arc there
many other rabbits here ? Those are the things we ivant to
know.’

Cowslip showed no more concern at Fiver's tense manner
than he had at anything that had gone before. He drew a
fore-paw down the back of one ear and then replied,

‘I think you’re puzzhng yourselves unnecessarily. But if
you want the answers to your questions, then I’d say yes,
you can trust us* we don’t want to drive you away. And
there is a warren here, but not as big a one as we should hke.
Why should we want to hurt you? There’s plenty of grass,
surely'?’ ,

In spite of his strange, clouded manner, he spoke so
reasonably that Hazel felt rather ashamed.

‘We’ve been through a lot of danger,’ he said. ‘Every-
tog new seems hke danger to us. After all, you might be
alraid that we were coming to take your does or turn you
out of your holes.’

Cowslip listened gravely Then he answered.

Well, as to the holes, that was something I thought I
might mention These scrapes aren’t very deep or comfort-
able, are they ? And although they’re facing out of the wind
^ know that this isn’t the usual wmd we get
s blowing up this ram from the south We usually

arJ^f SO straight into these holes There

are plenty of empty burrows in our warren and if you want
ome across you’U be welcome. And now if you’ll excuse

THE STRANGER IN THE FIELD 77

me, I won’t stay any longer I hate the rain The warren is
round the comer of the wood opposite ’

He ran down the slope and over the brook They watched
Inm leap the bank of the further copse and disappear
through the green bracken The first scatters of ram weie
beginning to fall, pattering into the oak leaves and pnekmg
the bare, pink skin inside then ears
‘Fine, big fellow, isn’t he^’ said Buckthorn ^He doesn’t
look as though he had much to bother about, living
here ’

‘What should we do, Hazel, do you think asked Silver
‘It’s true what he said, isn’t it? These scrapes - well, we
can crouch in them out of the weather, but no more than
that And as we can’t all get into one, we shall have to split
up’

‘We’ll join them together,’ said Hazel, ‘and while we’re
doing that I’d like to talk about what he said Fiver, Bigwig
and Blackberry, can you come with me ^ The rest of you
spht how you like ’

The new hole was short, narrow and rough There was no
room for two rabbits to pass Four were like beans in a pod
For the first tune, Hazel began to realize how much they
had left behind The holes and tunnels of an old warren
become smooth, reassuring and comfortable with use There
are no snags or rough comers Every length smells of rabbits
^ of that great, indestructible flood of Rabbitry in which
each one is carried along, sure-footed and safe The heavy
^ork has all been done by countless great-grandmothers
and their mates All the faults have been put right and
everything m use is of proved value The ram drains easily
and even the wind of mid-winter cannot penetrate the
deeper burrows Not one of Hazel’s rabbits had ever played
any part m real digging The work they had done that
Corning was trifling and all they had to show for it was
rough shelter and little comfort
There is nothing like bad weather to reveal the short-
comings of a dwelling, particularly if it is too small You are,
as they say, stuck with it and have leisure to feel all its

78 THE JOURNEY

peculiar irritations and discomforts. Bigwig, with lus usual
brisk energy, set to work Hazel, however, returned and sat
pensive at the lip of the hole, looking out at the silent,
ripphng veils of rain that drifted across and aci oss the little
vaUey between the two copses Closer, before his nose,
eveiy blade of grass, ever>^ bracken frond was bent, di ippmg
and glistening. The smell of last year's oak leaves filled the
air. It had turned cliilly. Across the field the bloom of the
cherry tree, under which they had sat that morning, hung
sodden and spoiled While Hazel gazed, the wind slowly
veered roimd into the west, as Cowslip had said it would,
and brought the rain driving into the mouth of the hole. He
backed down and rejoined the others. The pattering and
whispering of the rain sounded softly but distinctly outside.
The fields and woods were shut in under it, emptied and
subdued The insect hfe of the leaves and grass was stilled.
The thrush should have been singing, but Hazel could hear
no thrush He and his compamons were a muddy handful of
scratchers, crouching in a narrow, draughty pit in lonely
country. They were not out of the weather. They were
waiting, uncomfortably, for the weather to change.

‘Blackberry,’ said Hazel, ‘what did you thinly of our
visitor and how would you like to go to his warren ? ’
‘Well,’ replied Blackberry, ‘what I think is this There’s
no way of findmg out whether he’s to be trusted except to
try it. He seemed friendly. But then, if a lot of rabbits were
afiraid of some newcomers and wanted to deceive them ■“
get them down a hole and attack them — they’d start —
^uldn t they? - by sending someone who was plausible.
They might want to kill us. But then again, as he said, there’s
plenty of grass and as for tummg them out or taking their
doK, if they’re all up to his size and weight they’ve nothing
to ear om a crowd like us. They must have seen us come.
We were tued Surely that was the tune to attack us? Or
^ "^ve^were separated, before we began digging? But
ey n 1. 1 reckon they’re more likely to be friendly than
There s only one thmg beats me What do they
o get from asking us to join their warren ? ’

THE STRANGER IN THE FIELD

79

'Fools attract chi by being easy prey/ said Bigwig, clean-
ing the mud out of his whiskers and blowing through his
long front teeth ‘And ivc^re fools until we’ve learnt to hvc
here Safer to teach us, perhaps I don’t know - give it up
But I’m not afraid to go and find out If they do try any
tricks, tliey’il find I Imow a few as well I wouldn’t mind
taking a chance, to sleep somewhere more comfortable than
tins We haven’t slept since yesterday afternoon ’

‘ Fiver

‘I think we ought to have nothing to do with that rabbit
or his warren We ought to leave this place at once But
what’s the good of talking^’

Cold and damp, Hazel felt impatient He had always been
accustomed to rely on Fiver and now, when he really
needed him, he was letting them down Blackberry’s
reasoning had been first-rate and Bigwig had at least shown
which way any sound-hearted rabbit would be likely to
lean Apparently the only contribution Fiver could make
was this beetle-spirited vapouring He tried to remember
that Fiver was under-sized and that they had had an anxious
time and were all weary At this moment the soil at the far
of the burrow began to crumble inwards then it fell
away and Silver’s head and front paws appeared

‘Here we are,’ said Silver cheerfully ‘We’ve done what
you wanted. Hazel and Buckthorn’s through next door
But what I’d like to know is, how about What’s-His-Name ^
Cowpat - no - Cowslip ^ Are we going to his warren or not^
Surely we’re not gomg to sit cowering in this place because
we re frightened to go and see him Whatever will he think
ofus^’

‘I’ll tell you,’ said Dandelion, from over his shoulder ‘If
he s not honest, he’ll know we’re afraid to come and if he
^^9 he’ll think we’re suspicious, cowardly skulkers If we’re
going to live m these fields, we’ll have to get on terms with
his lot sooner or later, and it goes agamst the gram to hang
about and admit we daren’t visit them ’

^ don’t know how many of them there are,’ said Silver,
hut we^re quite a crowd Anyhow, I hate the idea of just

the journey

keeping away. How long have rabbits been elil? Old Cow-
slip wasn't afraid to come into the middle of us, was he?’

Veiy well,’ said Hazel. ‘That’s how I feel myself. I just
wanted to know whether you did. Would you like Bigwig
and me to go over there first, by ourselves, and report back?’

V * Let’s aU go. If we’re going at aU, for

i-ntii s sake let’s do it as though we weren’t afraid. What do
you say, Dandehon?’

I think you’re right.’

‘Then we’U go now,’ said Hazel. ‘Get the others and
lollow me ’

Outside, in the thickening light of the late afternoon, with

eyes and under his scut^ he watched
Blackberry, alert and intelHgent,
Ritrt • ^ ^ then down the ditch before he crossed it.

cheerful at the prospect of action. The steady,

to hp dashing story-teller, so eager

the w he jumped the ditch and ran a httle way into
Derhnnc Stopping to wait for the rest. Buckthorn,

Lo fooVijf and staunch of them aU. Pipkin,

side him Hazel and then came over to wait be-

rank-a^' Speedwell, decent enough

limits Last of S S Fwi'l? ^ beyond their

sparrow in the frost As ^ and reluctant as a

clouds in the Bole, the

darale of watery, pale-gold ifght ^

going to meet.'^^u know rabbits we’re

tt be the right tCg’^5iaut“do?„"?“

you, and getting^etteTeve^ aloud. ‘We’re waiting for
A soaking b^h 1 1 ^ moment ’

vibrated itsmngs for , r over a thistle-bloom,

do\sTi the field. Hazel fnllrf j ^hen flew away

him o\er the silvered gras^^^' leaving a dark track behind

13 Hospitality

In the afternoon they came unto a land

In which It seemed always afternoon

All round the coast the languid air did swoon,

Breathing like one that hath a weary dream

Tennyson The Lotus-Eaters

The corner of the opposite wood turned out to be an acute
point Beyond it, the ditch and trees curved back again in a
re-entrant, so that the field formed a bay with a bank run-
mng all the way round It was evident now why Cowslip,
when he left them, had gone among the trees He had simply
run in a direct hne from their holes to his own, passmg on
his way through the narrow strip of woodland that lay
between Indeed, "-as Hazel turned the point and stopped to
look about him, he could see the place where Cowshp must
have come out A clear rabbit-track led from the bracken,
under the fence and into the field In the bank on the
further side of the bay the rabbit-holes were plain to see,
showing dark and distinct m the bare ground It was as
conspicuous a warren as could well be imagined

‘Sky above us'* said Bigwig ‘Every hving creature for
miles must Imow that’s there * Look at all the tracks in the
grass, too * Do you think they sing in the morning, like the
thrushes ^ ’

‘Perhaps they’re too secure to bother about concealing
themselves,’ said Blackberry ‘After all, the home warren
was fairly plain to be seen ’

‘Yes, but not like that' A couple of hrududil could go
down some of those holes ’

‘ So could I,’ said Dandelion ‘ I’m getting dreadfully wet ’

As they approached, a big rabbit appeared over the edge
of the ditch, looked at them quickly and vamshed into the
bank A few moments later two others came out and waited
for them Tlicy, too, were sleek and unusually large

82

THE JOURNEY

‘A rabbit called Cowslip offered us shelter here,’ said
Hazel ‘ Perhaps you know that he came to see us ? ’

Both rabbits together made a curious, dancing movement
of the head and front paws Apart from sniffing, as Hazel
and Cowslip had done when they met, formal gestures -
except between mating rabbits — were unknown to Hazel
and his companions They felt mystified and slightly ill-at-
ease The dancers paused, evidently waiting for some
acknowledgement or reciprocal gesture, but there was none,
‘Cowslip IS in the great burrow,’ said one of them at
length. ‘Would you like to follow us there
‘How many of us?’ asked Hazel.

‘Why, all of you,’ answered the other, surprised. ‘You
don t want to stay out in the ram, do you ? ’

Hazel had supposed that he and one or two of his com-
rades would be taken to see the Chief Rabbit - who would
piobably not be Cowslip, since Cowshp had come to see
them unattended — in his burrow, after which they would
ail be given different places to go to It was this separation
of winch he had been afraid. He now realized with astonish-
ment that there was apparently a part of the warren under- '
gound which was big enough to contam them all together.
He felt so curious to visit it that he did not stop to make any
detailed arrangements about the order in which they should
g down. However, he put Pipkm immediately behind him.

11 warm his httle heart for once,’ he thought, ‘ and if the
ea CIS do get attacked, I suppose we can spare him easier
an son^ Bigwig he asked to bring up the rear. ‘ If there’s
_ ^ of it,’ he said, ‘and take as many as you

holes m the\a^k followed their guides into one of the

r broad, smooth and dry It was obviously a
The branched off it in all directions

ff aWnn? fast and Hazel had little time to

iomc .Suddenly he checked. He had

fiont and nn ^ whiskers could feel no earth in

ahead near his sides There was a good deal of

um - he could feel it moving - and there was a

HOSPITALITY

considerable space above his head Also, theie were several
rabbits near him It had not occurred to him that there
would be a place imderground where he would be exposed
on three sides He backed quickly and felt Pipkm at his tail
‘What a fool I was^’ he thought ‘Why didn’t I put Silver
there At this moment he heard Cowslip speakmg He
jumped, for he could tell that he was some way away The
size of the place must be immense
‘ Is that you. Hazel ^ ’ said Cowslip ‘ You’re welcome, and
so are your friends We’re glad you’ve come ’

No human beings, except the courageous and experienced
blind, are able to sense much in a strange place where they
cannot see, but with rabbits it is otherwise They spend half
their hves underground m darkness or near-darkness and
touch, smell and hearing convey as much or more to them
than sight Hazel now had the clearest knowledge of where
he was He would have recogmzed the place if he had left at
once and come back six months later He was at one end of
the largest burrow he had ever been in, sandy, warm and
dry, with a hard, bare floor There were several tree-roots
running across the roof and it was these that supported the
unusual span There was a great number of rabbits in the
place - many more than he was bringing All had the same
rich, opulent smell as Cowslip
Cowslip himself was at the other end of the hall and Hazel
realized that he was waiting for lum to reply His own com-
pamons were still coming out of the entrance burrow one by
and there was a good deal of scrabbling and shuffling
He wondered if he ought to be very formal Whether or not
he could call himself a Chief Rabbit, he had no experience
uf this sort of thing The Threarah would no doubt have
risen to the occasion perfectly He did not want to appear at
a tos or to let his followers down He decided that it would
c best to be plain and fnendly After all, there would be
P enty of time, as they settled down m the warren, to show
strangers that they were as good as themselves, without
nsK^g^ trouble by putting on airs at the start

We’re glad to be out of the bad weather,’ he said ‘AVc’rc

^4 THE JOURNEY

like all rabbits ~ happiest in a crowd, Wlien you came over
to see us in the field. Cowslip, you said your warren wasn’t
large, but judging by the holes wc saw along the bank, it
must be what we’d reckon a fine, big one.’

As he finished he sensed that Bigwig had just entered the
hall, and knew that they were all together again. The
stranger rabbits seemed slightly disconcerted by his little
speech and he felt that for some reason or other he had not
struck the right note m complimenting them on their
numbers Perhaps there were not very many of them after
there been disease^ There was no smell or sign of
It These were the biggest and healthiest rabbits he had ever
met Perhaps their fidgeting and silence had nothing to do
with what he had said ^ Perhaps it was simply that he had
not spoken very well, being new to it, and they felt that he
wa^ not up to their fine ways? ‘Never mind,’ he thought.
Atter last night I’m sure of my own lot. We wouldn’t be
nere at all if we weren’t handy in a pinch. These other

e ows wi just have to get to know us They don’t seem to
dislike us, anyway ’

more speeches Rabbits have their own
and formalities, but these are few and short by
woulH h ^ Hazel had been a human being he

bv onp ^ expected to introduce his companions one
as a would have been taken in charge

ever tbino-^ ° their hosts In the great burrow’’, how-
naturallv ^Tb differently. The rabbits mingled

artiSaLl talkmg’s sake, in the

their doffs and^^ t human beings - and sometimes even
were not comm^^ s - do But this did not mean that they

comers and ^ f burrow, both the new-

themselves to eadi other^^’^^b^* accustoming

time, ffettinp-fr* V their own way and their own

moved how tbexTb^ what the strangers smelt hke, how they
thc,r rhXs they scratched, the feel of

jects of discussion ^ These were their topics and sub-
n, earned on without the need of speech

HOSPITALITY

85

To a greater extent than a human in a sinular gathenng each
rabbit, as he pursued his own fragment, was sensitive to the
trend of the whole After a time, all knew that the concourse
was not going to turn sour or break up in a fight Just as a
battle begins in a state of equihbnum between the two sides,
which gradually alters one way or the other, until it is clear
that the balance has tilted so far that the issue can no longer
be in doubt - so this gathering of rabbits in the dark, be-
ginning with hesitant approaches, silences, pauses, move-
ments, crouchmgs side-by-side and all manner of tentative
appraisals, slowly moved, like a hemisphere of the world
mta summer, to a warmer, brighter region of mutual hking
and approval, until all felt sure that they had nothing to
fear Pipkin, some way away from Hazel, crouched at his
ease between two huge rabbits who could have broken his
back in a second, while Buckthorn and Gowshp started a
playful scuffle, mpping each other like kittens and then
breaking off to comb their ears in a comical pretence of
sudden gravity* Only Fiver sat alone and apart He seemed
either ill or very much depressed, and the strangers avoided
him mstmctively

The knowledge that the gathermg was safely rotmd the
corner came to Hazel in the form of a recollection of Silver’s
head and paws breaking through gravel At once he felt
warm and relaxed He had already crossed the whole length
of the hall and was pressed close to two rabbits, a buck and
doe, each of whom was fully as large as Gowshp When both
together took a few slow hops down one of the runs near-by.
Hazel followed and httle by httle they all three moved out
of the hall They came to a smaller burrow, deeper imder-
gtound Evidently this belonged to the couple, for they
settled down as friough at home and made no ol^ection
when Hazel did the same Here, while the mood of the great
hall slowly passed from them, all three were silent for a time

‘Is Gowshp the Ghief Rabbit^’ asked Hazel at length
R °^ker rephed with a question *Are you called Ghief

Hazel found tins awkward to answer If he rephed that he

86

THE JOURNEY

was. Ills new friends might address him so for the future, and
he could imagine what Bigwig and Silver would have to say
about that As usual, he fell back on plain honesty.

'We’re only a few,’ he said ‘ Wc left our warren in a hurry
to escape from bad things. Most stayed behind and the Chief
Rabbit was one of them. I’ve been trying to lead my friends,
but I don’t know whether they’d care to hear me called
Chief Rabbit ’

« <{ make him ask a few questions,’ he thought.

Why did you leave ^ Why didn’t the rest come ^ What
were you afraid of?” And whatever am I going to say?’

^ When the other rabbit spoke, however, it was clear that
either he had no interest in what Hazel had said, or else he
had some other reason for not questioning him

‘We don’t call anyone Chief Rabbit,’ he said ‘It was

Cowslip s idea to go and see you this afternoon, so he was the
one who went.’

‘But who decides what to do about elil? And digging an(
sending out scouting parties and so on^’

we never do anything like that. Elil keep away fron
Uere. There was a homba last winter, but the man who come
through the fields, he shot it with his gun,’

^Ar^u ^ homba ’

e , g killed this one, anyway He kills owls too. Wt

hn^J! m my lifetime. A lot of the

hilt ying empty, you know; rats live m one part,

exoeditmnT

Your frienric anywhere else,

Zf hT u hving here ’

once agam HaLl feh particularly happy and

man^puf perplexed. ‘Where does the

Some of the h This is my doe, Nildro-hain *

you mease von burrows are quite close I’ll show

burrow is a The greai

can’t be ma^v don’t you think ^ I’m sure there

Z I 'he rabbits can meet

^5ong of the Blackbird ’

HOSPITALITY

87

together underground The roof’s all tree-roots, you know,
and of course the tree outside keeps the ram from coming
through It’s a wonder the tree’s alive, but it is ’

Hazel suspected that Strawberry’s talking had the real
purpose of preventing his own questions He was partly
• irritated and partly mystified

‘Never mind,’ he thought ‘If we all get as big as these
chaps we shall do pretty well There must be some good food
round here somewhere His doe’s a beautiful creature, too
Perhaps there are some more hke her in the warren ’
Stiawberry moved out of the burrow and Hazel followed
him mto another run, leading deeper down below the wood
It was certainly a warren to admire Sometimes, when they
crossed a run that led upwards to a hole, he could hear the
ram outside, still falling m tlie mght But although it had
now been raining for several hours, there was not the least
damp or cold either m the deep runs or m the many burrows
that they passed Both the dramage and the ventilation were
better than he had been accustomed to Here and there
other rabbits were on the move Once they came upon
Acorn, who was evidently being taken on a tour of the same
kind ‘Very friendly, aren’t they?’ he said to Hazel as they
passed one another ‘ I never dreamt we’d reach a place like
this You’ve got wonderful judgement, Hazel ’ Strawberry
waited politely for him to finish speaking and Hazel could
uot help feelmg pleased that he must have heard
At last, after skirting carefully round some opemngs from
which there was a distinct smell of rats, they halted in a kind
of pit A steep tunnel led up into the air Rabbit-runs tend to
be bow-shaped, but this was straight, so that above them,
through the mouth of the hole, Hazel could see leaves
against the night sky He reahzed that one wall of the pit
was convex and made of some hard substance He sniffed at
It uncertainly

you know what those are^’ said Strawberry
■they re bncks, the stones that men make their houses and
arns out of There used to be a well here long ago, but it’s
led up now - the men don’t use it any more That’s the

THE JOURNEY

cmter Side of the welhshaft. And this earth-wall here is
completely flat because of some man-thing fixed behind it
in the ground, but I’m not sure what ’

‘ There’s something stuck on it,’ said Hazel ‘ Why, they’re
stones, pushed into the surface! But what for^’

‘Do you like it^’ asked Strawberry
^ Hazel puzzled over the stones They were all the same

size and pushed at regular interv'als into the soil He could
make nothing of them.

^Vv^at are they for?’ he asked again

-ahrairah,’ said Strawberry. ‘A rabbit called

now. We have others, but
thos ,s the best Worth a visit, don’t you think ? ’

laW?^ was more at a loss than ever. He had nevei seen a

‘Po 3 <?nTi ^ puzzled by the name, which m Lapine is

howconlJTV ^ rabbit be called Poison? And

Strawberrv El-ahrairah? What, exactly, was it that

saTr^I Zr' El-alirairah? In confusion he

saia, ^ 1 don t understand.’

‘Haven’t^yonc'^^ call a Shape,’ explained Strawberry
El-ahrairah before? The stones make the shape of

know?’ Steahng the King’s lettuce Tou

had talke^^fbom^^^ bewildered since Blackberry

the stones CO Jd Z -aft beside the Enbome. Obviously,
ahrairah It seemed anything to do with El-

have said that his tp i ^ Strawberry might as well

‘hen put fpt^XX ZT

and that wouldn't ‘You might damage it

other time ’ ^ We’ll come again some

Silt wll0i*0 TT •»

once more interrupted^iunT^^^ beginmng, when Strawberry
‘I expect you’ll bp hi.r.

on raining all nip-bt T’ now. I know I am It’s going
underground her! hut we can feed

burrow, or m mv i tben you can sleep in the

> f ui my place you prefer We can go back

^LIKE TREES IN NOVEMBER^ 89

more qmckly tlian we came There’s a run that goes almost
straight Actually, it passes across
He chatted on relentlessly, as they made their way back
It suddenly occurred to Hazel that these desperate inter-
ruptions seemed to follow any question beginning * Where
He thought he would put this to the proof After a while
Strawberry ended by saymg, ‘We’re nearly at the great
burrow now, but we’re coming m by a different way ’

‘And where said Hazel Instantly Strawberry turned
into a side run and called, ‘ Kingcup ^ Are you coming down
to the great burrow ^ ’ There was silence ‘ That’s odd * ’ said
Strawberry, returning and once more leading the way
‘He’s generally there about this time I often call for him,
you know ’

Hazel, hanging back, made a qmck search with nose and
whiskers The threshold of the burrow was covered with a
day-old fall of soft soil from the roof above Strawberry’s
pnnts had marked it plainly and there were no others
whatsoever

14 ^ Like Tiees in November'

Courts and camps are tlie only places to learn the world
Take the tone of the company that you are in

The Earl of Chesterfield Letters to his Son

The great burrow was less crowded than when they had left
It Nildro-hain was the first rabbit they met She was among
a group of three or four fine does who were talking quietly
together and seemed to be feeding as well There was a
smell of green-stuff Evidently some kind of food was avail-
able underground, like the Threarah’s lettuce Hazel
stopped to speak to Nildro-ham She asked whether he had
gone as far as the well-pit and the El-ahrairah of Laburnum
‘Yes, we did,’ said Hazel ‘It’s something quite strange to

9 ° the journey

than^-;^ But I d rather admire you and your friends

tnan stones on a wall ^

an^fwt!*^ Cowslip had joined tlicm

the wnrdc talking to him quietly. He caught

latVcowsli r, " Shape’ - and a moment

point of view ^ ^ italics no difference from our

depressed. He heard Black-

ac2 to hL

eke whefUcome/ quietly. ‘Bring anyone

be glad of to ium and said, ‘You'l!

got dow^ W "* "°"' y°t. what we’ve

‘OrSSn ra— j'“‘ sobig to siljlay’*- said Hazel
shp, as though bard for that,’ said Cow-

feed you here.’ ^ ways about it. ‘We’ll

‘but of os'S to'l’Xy W ' d'*

doesn’t bother us-*’ Vv e re used to it, and rain

fof a moment Then he

though ft IS possfy^*li,°^ unknown to animah

of It. The ^i^phants may have som

®^ectonHazpJ ^

the symptom of somf^ t Cowslip was showir

thought that he mis-ht Vi disease Blackberry clear!

away. CowshpsaidnotKi^ them and backe

Hazel and Blackberrv ti ^^^^^^^‘^Hughtercontinuec
as though he had hpr= ^ scuttled up the nearej

Pipkin, who was small enn^ 1 Half-way up they me

let them pass and the]

for May, cold ^ “gbt was dark am

'°o ground JJ'; themselves in th.

‘l-IKE TREES IN NOVEMBER’ gj

grass and nibbled, while the ram lan off their fur m streams
My goodness, Hazel,’ said Blackberry, ‘did you reallv
want to silday ? Tins is terrible ' I was just going to cat what-
evcr It IS Aey have and then go to sleep Wliat’s the idea?’
I don t know,’ replied Hazel ‘ I suddenly felt I had to get
wanted your company I can see ivhat’s troubling
Fiver, though he 11 get over it, I dare say There wsometlung

mo U,“S” ' ” “ P“'’

‘They do what?’

explained Blackberry was as much at a loss as he
had been himself ‘But I’ll tell you another thing,’ he said

belonging to a rabbit called Bctony His

He a ^ Anther

made f she said It

made me feel queer, I can tell you ’

Md what doj-o« think of them, Hlao-roo?’ asked Hazel

teU vn?i!^ '"T answered Pipkin, ‘but I’ll

this bcau^r.?'"’ •'"'y’'' *“ >”6 and strong and have

November^ T But they put me in mind of trees m

brought u, expect I m being silly though. Hazel You
‘No ^ he a fine, safe place ’

IwfeUy nrte"¥i? ^ '“'■“d tt. but you're

■b?“ don't W why

Perhanc th ^ ^hey don t fill the warren, anNdhing like
«. •* “ s™« sort ofttonblo that?lo?f£l

goiw'to ml, u*™ ‘■t'y don't tell us But if we're

d'fnfighhSuV ” •'■'>■"= don', want

«« “ndldt?"''''’''’' ““ d. m

92

THE JOURNEY

'You notice a lot, don’t you, Hlao-roo?* said I-Iazel. ‘Do
you notice it’s raining harder than ever? I’ve got enough
grass m my stomach for a bit We’ll go down again now, but
let’s keep to ourselves for a while.’

‘Why not sleep ^ ’ said Blackberry. ‘ It’s over a night and a
day now and I’m dropping.’

They returned down a different hole and soon found a
dry, empty burrow, where they curled up together and
slept in the warmth of their own tired bodies.

When Hazel woke he perceived at once that it was morn-
ing - some time after sunrise, by the smell of it. The scent of
apple blossom was plain enough. Then he picked up the
fainter smells of buttercups and horses. Mingled with these
came another. Although it made him uneasy, he could not
tell for some moments what it was. A dangerous smell, an
unpleasant smell, a totally unnatural smell — quite close
outside . a smoke smell - something was burning. Then he
remembered how Bigwig, after his reconnaissance on the
previous day, had spoken of the little white sticks in the
grass That was it. A man had been walking over the

ground outside. That must have been what had awakened
him.

Hazel lay in the warm, dark burrow with a delightful
sense of security He could smell the man The man could
not smell him All the man could smell was the nasty smoke
he was making He fell to thinking of the shape in the well-
pit, and then dropped into a drowsy half-dream, in which

^ <^^ick of his to disguise
Poison-tree and put the stones in the waU, to

acaua7ntf‘!?''' ® while he himself was getting

acquainted with Nildro-hain.

turned in his sleep, murmuring, Sayn

touched m'u,' nice, mother?’) and Hazel,

rolled n must be dreaming of old days,

that moment again. At

down some r ’ heard a rabbit approaching

p g as well, Hazel noticed ~in an unnatural way.

‘like trees in NOVEMBER* 03

The sound, as Blackberry had said, was not unlike bird-song
As he came closer, Hazel could distinguish the word

^ Flay rah ' Flay rah

The voice was Strawberry’s Pipkin and Blackberry were
waking, more at the stamping than the voice, which was
thin and novel, not striking tlirough their sleep to any deep
instinct Hazel slipped out of the burrow into the run and at
once came upon Strawberry busily thumping a hind leg on
the hard earth floor

‘My mother used to say, “If you were a horse the ceiling
would fall down”,* said Hazel ‘Why do you stamp imder-
ground^’

‘To walce everyone,’ answered Strawberry ‘The ram
went on nearly all night, you know We generally sleep right
through the early mormng if it’s rough weather But it’s
turned fine now ’

‘Why actually wake everybody, though^’

‘Well, the man’s gone by and Cowslip and I thought the
flayrah ought not to he about for long If we don’t go and
get It the rats and rooks come and I don’t like fighting rats I
expect It’s all in a day’s work to an adventurous lot hke you ’

‘I don’t understand ’

‘Well , come along with me I’m just going back along this
run for Nildro-hain We haven’t got a litter at present, you
see, so she’ll come out with the rest of us ’

Other rabbits were making their way along the run and
Strawberry spoke to several of them, more than once
remarking that he would enjoy taking their new fnends
across the field Hazel began to realize that he liked Straw-
berry On the previous day he had been too tired and
bewildered to size him up But now that he had had a good
sleep, he could see that Strawberry was really a harmless,
decent sort of fellow He was touchingly devoted to the
beautiful Nildro-hain, and he evidently had moods of
gaiety and a great capacity for enjoyment As they came up
into the May morning he hopped over the ditch and skipped
into the long grass as blithe as a squirrel He seemed quite
to have lost the preoccupied air that had troubled Hazel the

94 THE JOURNEY

night before. Hazel himself paused in the mouth of the hole,
as he always had behind the bramble curtain at liomc, and
looked out across the valley.

The sun, risen behind the copse, threw long shadows from
the trees south-westwards across the field. The wet grass
glittered and near-by a nut-tree sparkled irridescent, wink-
gl^iaming as its branches moved in the light wind.
Ihe brook was swollen and Hazel’s cars could distinguish
e eeper, smoother sound, changed since the day before
e een the copse and the brook, the slope was covered
pa e ilac lady’s smocks, each standing separately in
e gra^, a frail stalk of bloom above a spread of cressy
eaves Ihe breeze dropped and the little vaUey lay com-

? 1: enclosed on

h trJ .u Upon tins clear stillness,

cuckw ^ ^

safe Hazel,’ said Cowslip behind him in the
YOU takmg a good look round when

from Gow< 5 l ways or take instructions

wrn?uo nf - P^^hed him and there

ditch to the ti? trifles He hopped across the

Several rabbi bank and looked round him again
a distant hederp'^^^ n ready running down the field towards
bloom. He slw

flickmg the wet ^nd went to join them,

g ne wet off his front paws step by step, like a

; well as

we’ve all made a bin ngain. If you ask me, I reckon

™ong and nothing ^ Tver’s

warren, I’d still t > happened back at the old

along to feed?’ ^ ^ better off here Are you coming

askerHlzcl!^^ business about going to feed, do you know ? ’

‘like trees in NOVEMBER’ 95

‘Haven’t they told you^ Apparently there’s flayrah to be
had down the fields Most of them go every day ’

(Rabbits usually eat grass, as everyone knows But more
appetizing food, e g lettuce or carrots, for which they will
make an expedition or rob a garden, is flayrah )

‘Flayrah^ But isn’t it rather late in the mormng to raid a
garden^’ said Hazel, glancing at the distant roofs of the
farm behind the trees

‘No, no,’ said one of the warren rabbits, who had over-
heard him ‘The flayrah’s left in the field, usually near the
place where the brook rises We either eat it there or bring
It back or both But we’ll have to bring some back today
The ram was so bad last mght that no one went out and we
ate almost everything in the warren ’

The brook ran through the hedgerow, and there was a
cattle-wade m the gap After the ram the edges were a
swamp, with water standing in every hoof-pnnt The
rabbits gave them a wide berth and came through by another
gap farther up, close to the gnarled trunk of an old crab-
apple tree Beyond, surrounding a thicket of rushes, stood
an enclosure of posts and rails half as high as a man Inside
It, the king-cups bloomed and the brook whelmed up from
Its source

On the pasture near-by Hazel could see scattered, russet-
and-orange-coloured fragments, some with feathery, light-
E^^cen foliage showing up against the darker grass They
gave off a pungent, horsey smell, as if freshly cut It
attracted him He began to sahvate and stopped to pass
hraka Cowslip, coming up near-by, turned towards lum
With his unnatural smile But now Hazel, in has eagerness,
paid no attention Powerfully drawn, he ran out of the
hedgerow towards the scattered ground He came to one of
the fragments, sniffed it and tasted it It was carrot
Hazel had eaten various roots in his hfe, but only once
before had he tasted carrot, when a cart-horse had spilt a
nose-bag near the home warren These were old carrots,
some lialf-caten already by mice or fly But to the rabbits
mey were redolent with luxury^, a feast to dnvc all other

9^ THE JOURNEY

feelings out of mind. Hazel sat nibbling and biting, the rich,
u as e ^ tie cultivated roots filling liim ivith a wave of
p easure. e opped about the grass, gnawing one piece
after another, eating the green lops along with the slices. No
one mterrupted him. There seemed to be plenty for all.
fhe^r Tl instinctively, he looked up and sniffed

thpm caution was half-hearted. ‘If clil come, let

wav'wh the lot I couldn’t run, any-

^ country I What a warren! No wonder they’re

Fill hares and smell like princes!’ ‘Hullo, Pipkin’

of strearn^f more sluvering on the banks

oi streams for you, old chap ' ’

HawkhTf ^ said

r d foUnw * ‘ I f“I so much better for this '

underffrmmri ^ when you know you can’t get

' I you understand.’

shp whS wevf answered Hazel. ‘I’d better ask Cow-
stuff back to the wa?ren/ *°

filched He had evidently

paws, ® Ws face with his front

r «

* Not always roots^’^^^ T learning,’ he thought

as you’ll hale noticed ^
cleared out. It mav K ^^Ppose the remains are being
apples: it all denendt;^ anything - roots, green stuff, old
especiaUy in ^ood ^o^ietimes there’s nothing at all,
in winter, there’s npa weather But in hard weather,
usually, or kale, or something. Big roots,

hnow.’ ometimes corn. We eat that too, you

fullof rabbits ^I sup^se^’^ whole place ought to be

there’s no CowsHp, and

ts easy with these could try carrying.

easier than anything except

‘like trees in NOVEMBER" 97

lettuce You simply bite on one, take it back to the warren
and put It in the great burrow I generally take two at a tune,
but then IVe had a lot of practice Rabbits don’t usually
cany food, I know, but you’ll learn It’s useful to have a
store The does need some for their young when they’re
getting bigger, and it’s particularly convenient for all of us
in bad weather Come back with me and I’ll help if you
find the carrying difficult at first ’

It took Hazel some trouble to learn to grip half a carrot
in his mouth and carry it, like a dog, across the field and back
to the warren He had to put it down several times But
Cowslip was encouraging and he was determined to keep up
his position as the resourceful leader of the newcomers At
his suggestion they both waited at the mouth of one of the
larger holes to see how his compamons were shaping They
all seemed to be making an effort and doing their best,
although the smaller rabbits - especially Pipkin - clearly
found the task an awkward one
‘Cheer up, Pipkin,’ said Hazel ‘Tliink how much you’ll
enjoy eating it tonight Anyway, I’m sure Fiver must find it
as hard as you he’s just as small ’

I don’t know where he is,’ said Pipkin 'Have you seen
him^’

Now that Hazel thought about it, he had not He became
a little anxious, and, as he returned across the field with
Cowshp, did his best to explain somethmg of Fiver’s peculiar
temperament 'I do hope he’s all right,’ he said 'I tlunk
perhaps ITl go and look for him when we’ve carried this
next lot Have you any idea where he might be ^ ’

He waited for Cowslip to reply but he was disappointed
After a few moments Cowshp said, ‘ Look, do you see those
jackdaws hangmg round the carrots^ They’ve been a
nuisance for several days now I must get someone to try to
keep them off until we’ve finished canynng But they’re
really too big for a rabbit to tackle Now sparrows
‘What’s that got to do with Fiver asked Hazel sharply
In fact,’ said Cowshp, breaking into a run, ‘I’ll go my-

'I’HE journey

Dirlc^nn^ the jackdaws and Hazel saw hi

fofned Annoyed, 1

returned tntr Dandelion and the three of thei

suddenlvra?^ came up to the warren bank f

Sderthe half-conccale

sTmrwt r "4e of the cops,

carrot hLp?^ warren. Putting down h

^ onfhe scrambled up the bank and joine

said nothinp- under the low, close boughs. Five

at length Fiver?’ asked Haze

' I’ll have notli^ <^fficult once you get the hang of it.

voice ^

'Fiveri Are i? / ^ carrying sticks.’

lettmg the Others do all the

Tm ^ goorat'^t°tr?f“ ? ‘®*‘'

listentome? HaFoVtK^ ^ trouble. Why should they
Hazel, because vou kn mad. You’re to blame,

'So you ^ ^ you won’t listen.’

I think you’re wrono- p any better even now? Well,

shouldn’t vmi^TT. ^cryone makes mistakes sometimes.
Hawkbit was wrono- f uiistake, like everybody else?

‘Those are rabbits dn ^ and you’re wrong now.’

squirrels with nuts there, trotting along like a lot of

‘Well, Pd s^,

sqtorels and that maJ^c ^

you suppose ti ^^bbits ’

out there beca4 he has'Tk- the roots

He s just throwins- a-u ^^^f^t? What’s he up to?’
ave had a good meal ^hbish. How many rabbits
Ic tuces, old turnips? Shot

It snot poisoned, Rverff.^°u ^an.

Bi f if he’s had tiI t^^t. And if he wanted

c hasn’t done it.’ ^ enty of chances this morning.

soemed to grow even smaller as he flattened himself

‘like trees in NOVEMBER’ 99

on the hard earth ‘Fm a fool to try to argue/ he said
miserably ‘ Hazel - dear old Hazel - iFs simply that I know
there’s something unnatural and evil twisted all round this
place I don’t know what it is, so no wonder I can’t talk
about It I keep getting near it, though You know how you
poke your nose against wire netting and push it up against
an apple tree, but you still can’t bite the bark because of
the wire I’m close to this - whatever it is - but I can’t grip
It If I sit here alone I may reach it yet ’

‘Fiver, why not do as I say ^ Have a meal on those roots
and then go imderground and sleep You’ll feel all the
better for it ’

‘I tell you I’ll have nothmg to do with the place/ said
Fiver ‘As for gomg underground, I’d rather go back over
the heather The roof of that hall is made of bones ’

‘No, no ~ tree roots But after all, you were underground
all mght ’

‘I wasn’t,’ said Fiver
‘What^ Where were you then^’

‘Here ’

‘All night

‘Yes A yew tree gives good shelter, you know ’

Hazel was now seriously worried If Fiver’s horrors had
kept him above ground all night m the ram, oblivious of cold
and prowhng elil, then clearly it was not gomg to be easy to
talk him out of them He was silent for some tune At last he
said, ‘What a shamed I still think you’d do better to come
and join us But I’ll let you alone now and come and see

how you’re feehng later Don’t go eating the yew tree.
Cither ’ o o / ,

Fiver made no reply and Hazel went back to the field
Tile day was certainly not one to encourage foreboding
fiy ni-Frith it was so hot that the lower part of the field was
^^id Tlic air was heavy with thick, herbal smelb, as
bough It were already late June, the water-mint and
jnai^oram, not yet flowering, gave off scent from their
eaves and here and there an early meadow-sweet stood m
oom The chiff-chaff was busy all morning, high in a silver

100

THE JOURNEY

birch near the abandoned holes across the dip; and from
eep m the copse, somewhere by the disused well, came the
beautiful song of the blackcap By early afternoon there was
a stillness of heat, and a herd of cows from the higher fields
s^ow y grazed their way down into the shade. Only a few of
tne rabbits remamed above ground. Almost aU were asleep
m t e urrows. But still Fiver sat alone under the yew tree.

^ ^ oarly evening Hazel sought out Bigwig and to-
gether they ventured into the copse behind the warren. At

^ fiA cautiously, but before long they grew

continent at findmg no trace of any creature larger than a

nothing to smell,’ said Bigwig, ‘and no tracks. I

than the truth. There really

^ificrent from that wood where we

scarerl ct'ff mind telling you. Hazel, I was

‘So wa T ’ ^^ht, but I ivasn’t going to show it.*

this Diac/ Tf Hazel ‘But I agree with you about

this place It seems completely clear. If we

clumn of hr^ nnghj interrupted Bigwig. He was in a
thaTFed middle of which was a rabbit-hole

ground was «;n^ warren passages below. The

mould Wher<' Tr ^ • damp, with old leaves thick in the

shouei-s Some were thrown up m

wet clots were Ivino- the brambles and a few flat,

clump In the cemr? groimd beyond the

scored with loner c earth had been laid bare and was
narrow, reerrlar furrows, and there was a

carrots they harl .^bout the same size as one of the
sniffed and stared morning. The two rabbits

‘Hk funn aw of it.

~ only rabbh Bigwig,

man - that’s even^wh^^ everywhere, of course And

nothing to do smell might very well

a man walked

^ man that tore un th ^ white stick dowm. It wasn’t

up this ground ’

102

THE JOURNEY

drives them undet ground they still feel gregarious. Hazel
noticed that almost all his companions seemed to have
become friendly with the warren rabbits. Also, he found that
whenever he moved into one group or another, the warren
rabbits evidently knew who he was and treated him as the
leader of the newcomers. He could not find Strawberry, but

after a tune Cowslip came up to him from the other end of
the hall

I m glad you’re here, Hazel,’ he said. ‘ Some of our lot are
s^Sgcsting a story from somebody. We’re hoping one of your

people would like to tell one, but we can begin ourselves, if
you’d prefer.’ ^

There IS a rabbit saying, ‘ In the warren, more stories than
passages , and a rabbit can no more refuse to tell a story than
an Xnshman can refuse to fight Hazel and his friends con-

^ Blackberry announced, ‘WeVe

asked Hazel to tell you about our adventures * how we made

^^d the good luck to join you ’
uncomfortable silence, broken only by
backto®H“elMd“&^| Blackberry, dismayed, turned

thSno

doLTllke ‘Bern teU us if they

HowlU here.’

the other raKK'^ continued for some time, as though

was -wrong. ' *° ™entton. what they thought

He spoke up a^ain 'r? ^

that we have f o- second thoughts, Hazel remembers

tell you a storv among us. Dandehon wiH

tvay!’ he uto^ered ™, any-

Harcl'le”'^’ said Dandehon.

®ng’, hy the well-pit. ‘The

bclilve.’ ' answered. ‘They think a lot of that, I

THE STORY OF THE KING’S LETTUCE IO3

Dandelion took up his cue wth the same plucky readmess
that he had shown m the wood ‘IMI tell the story of the
King’s Lettuce/ he said aloud
‘We shall enjoy that/ replied Cowslip immediately
‘He’d better/ muttered Bigwig
Dandehon began

1 5 The Story of the King’s Lettuce

Don Alfonso ‘Eccovi il medico, signore belle *

Ferrando and Guglielmo ‘Dcspin'i in maschcra, che tristc pelle**

Lorenzo da Ponte Cost fan Tutle

‘They say that there was a time when El-ahrairah and his
followers lost all their luck Their enemies drove them out
and they were forced to live down in the marshes of Kelfazin
Now where the marshes of Kelfazin may be I do not know,
but at the time when El-ahrairah and his followers were
living there, of all the dreary places in the world they were
the dreariest There was no food but coarse grass and even
the grass was mixed with bitter rushes and docks The
ground was too wet for digging the water stood in any hole
that was made But all the other ammals had grown so
suspicious of El-ahrairah and his tricks that they would not
let him out of that wretched country and every day Prmce
Rainbow used to come walking through the marshes to
make sure that El-ahrairah was still there Prmce Rainbow
had the power of the sky and the power of the hills and Fnth
had told him to order the world as he thought best

One day, when Prince Rambow was coming through the
marshes, El-alirairah went up to him and said, “Prmce
Rainbow, my people are cold and cannot get imdergroimd
because of the wet Their food is so dull and poor that they
Will be lU when the bad weather comes Why do you keep
tis here against our wiU^ We do no harm ”

THE JOURNEY

cr,- replied Prince Rainbow, “all the

t^a S know that you are a tHef and a trickster. Now your
tucks have caught up with you and you have to live here
ntu you can persuade us that you will be an honest rabbit.”
u 'T saiti El-ahrairah, “for I

wits w ?i to tell my people to stop hving on their

pike^” ^ swim across a lake full of

tnrk nfl’ n Rainbow, “for I have heard of that

* “WiTi 1 '^^tairah, and I know how it is done ”

Darzin’s 0-1°!? steal the lettuces from King

Uarzm s garden?” asked El-ahrairah.

the an^a?*^^? arzin ruled over the biggest and richest of

very fierce anrtt “i *™®- ^is soldiers were

ditch and mia tl u ®ttuce garden was surrounded by a deep
was n“r ^ *°t.sand sentries day and night. It

Mowers lIved'^ S^^°“p^u"‘^Se °f city where III his

Darzm’s lettuces ^inSi stealing King

‘ “You can tT^r laughed and said,

niultiply vour T and if you succeed I will

keep them out of ^ver^here and no one will be able to
the world But what u ^ from now till the end of

Med by the Il'i' 5,^“^ ^l^Pen is that you will be

plausible rascal ” world will be rid of a smooth,

‘Nw YonfjheSdseh

and snails m the marsh near-by, looking for slugs
tween Prince Rainbrntr heard what passed be-

to the great palace of^K” He slipped away

icwarded for warninp- h* ^^^.^nrzin and begged to be
‘ dS ^Sainst his enemies,

ahrairah, has said he “that wicked thief, EI-

< ommg to trick you and t t- lettuces and he is

, ^^^‘^gDarzin garden.”

“ You guarT^ lettuce garden and sent

’’*n °“'= °f

as sown Very soon now they will

THE STORY OT THE KING’s LETTUCE IO5

be ready and then I mean to hold a great feast for all my
people But I have heard that that scoundrel El-ahrairah
means to come and steal them if he can You are to double
the guards and all the gardeners and weeders are to be
examined every day Not one leaf is to go out of the garden
until either I or my chief taster gives the order ”

‘The captain of the guard did as he was told That mght
El-ahrairah came out of the marshes of Kelfazin and went
secretly up to the ^eat ditch With him was his trusty
Captam of Owsla, Rabscuttle They squatted in the bushes
and watched the doubled guards patrolhng up and down
When the morning came they saw all the gardeners and
weeders coming up to the wall and every one was looked at
by three guards One was new and had come instead of his
uncle who was ill, but the guards would not let him in
because they did not know lum by sight and they nearly
threw him into the ditch before they would even let him go
home El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle came away m perplexity
and that day, when Prince Rainbow came walking through
the marshes, he said, ‘‘Well, well, Prmce with the Thousand
Enemies, where are the lettuces^”

' “I am having them dehvered,’' answered El-ahrairah
There will be rather too many to carry ” Then he and
Rabscuttle went secretly down one of their few holes where
there was no water, put a sentry outside and thought and
talked for a day and a mght

‘On the top of the hill near Kang Darzin’s palace there
was a garden and here his many children and his chief
followers’ children used to be taken to play by their mothers
nursemaids There was no wall round the garden It
guarded only when the children were there at mght
It was empty, because there was nothing to steal and no one
^ be hunted The next night Rabscuttle, who had been told
W Rl-ahrairah what he had to do, went to the garden and
^^g a scrape He hid m the scrape all mght, and the next
«^oming, when the children were brought to play, he slipped
and joined them There were so many children that each
of the mothers and nursemaids thought that he must

the journey

as the^ children^rnd not* about the same size

able to mate Wni ^ 1°°^ at, he was

of tricks and Ramec a Rabscuttle was full

playino- jt^st as if hp* ^ ^^^te soon he was running and

scuttle went too children to go home^ Rab-

the guards saw RabsL^ttk

stopped him and asIcoH T i.' King Darzin’s son. They
son said, “ You let him i toother, but the Kang’s

-«■ «a S”

be scum^'off and ^“g’s

itere he hid all day But^ of the dark burrows; and

his way to the rZafl' iie came out and made
got ready for thj ^here the food was being

There were grasses anH chief followers and wives,

berries, for Km^ toots and even nuts and

^^ys, through the wooric went everywhere in those

lo the store-rooms and R a h^ fields. There were no soldiers
te did all he could to make th^^r ^ ^he dark And

^ food bad, except what he ate

^sked him whether the ^hc chief taster and

said that several of them ^ere ready. The chief taster

a rca^r had some brought into ftf ^hat he had

Good,” said the

oi^ It ” g- We will have two or three

-*^«t the next mn '

kenf several of his people

^tom fil ^^atever they ate they

rc-roontsandspoihngthe f^^^ in the

‘ Affr ^''"orsc bnt he got no better. In

THE STORY OF THE KING’S LETTUCE I07

white tail and made Rabscuttle nibble his fur short and
stain It with mud and blackberries Then he covered him-
self all over with traihng strands of goose-grass and big
burdocks and he even found ways to alter his smell At last
even his ovm wives could not recogmze Inm, and EI-
ahrairah told Rabscuttle to follow some way behind and
off he went to King Darzin’s palace But Rabscuttle waited
outside, on the top of the hill

‘When he got to the palace, El-ahiairah demanded to see
the captain of the; guard “ You are to take me to the King,’’
he said Prince Rainbow has sent me He has heard that
the Kng is ill and he has sent for me, from the distant land
beyond Kelfazin, to find the cause of his sickness Be quick ^
I am not accustomed to be kept waiting ”

‘ “How do I know this is true ^ ” asked the cap tarn of the
guard

‘ “It is all one to me,” rephed El-alirairah “What is the
sickness of a httle king to the chief physician of the land
beyond the golden river of Fnth^ I will return and tell
Pnnce Rainbow that the king’s guard were foohsh and gave
tne such treatment as one might expect from a croivd of
flea-bitten louts ”

He turned and began to go away, but the captain of the
guard became fnghtened and called him back El-alirairah
allowed himself to be persuaded and the soldiers took him
to the king

After five days of bad food and bad stomach, the king was
not inclined to be suspicious of someone who said that Pnnce
Rainbow had sent him to make him better He begged El-
ahrairah to examine him and promised to do all he said

‘El-ahrairah made a great business of examining the king
He looked at his eyes and Ins ears and his teeth and Ins
droppings and the ends of his claws and he inquired wdiat
he had been eating Then he demanded to sec the royal
store-rooms and the Icttucc-gardcn "When he came back he
looked very gra\e and said, “Great king, I know w^cll what
^ovry news it wall be to you, but the cause of vour is

those very^ lettuces by which you set such store ”

the journey

nrl lettuces ? ” cried King Darzin. “ Impossible ! They
night good, healthy seed and guarded day and

c cc

- a n through the Gunpat of the Cludge

Awnan dear me, yes! - isolated by the purple

Pokev Th in the grey-green forests of the Okey

sim^e ir ’ ™'l=''^tand, IS to put the matter for you m

are^itn!™*’ ^ Medically speaking, there

you.” oomplexitics with which I will not weary

; “I cannot believe it,” said the king.

nrove ,t 1'™’’ n‘ said El-ahiairah, “will be to

ill Tell 1 need not make one of your subjects

was Rabscuttle^ creature they found

through the gate^Md Lm Ih '^ ^hey dragged him
‘ “Ah a rfhhif » ^ presence,

much the better f) E^-ahrairah “Nasty creature! So
‘RaScutt^ that lettuce!”

and thrash about He"hcte°d

eyes He gnawed afSor andT^^t^ ^

‘ “He IS very ill » saiH PI lu ^ frotM at the mouth.

exceptionally bad one Or ^

infection is particularly deadlv “S’"® Probable, the

let us be thankful it waej n /v ^^bbits. But in any event,

served our purpose tC, T Well, he has

Your Majesty/’ went on strongly advise

lettuces where thev nrf- r "^^^irah, “not to leave the

seed. The Uedo? S stead "tT"

but you must get nd of tLm ” ^ disappointing,

‘At that moment, as luck i,

captain of the guard, with Vy. ^

‘ “Your Majtty,” hftt ’^<='Js*og.

the marshes of Kelfazin Thi "^roatoe returns from
mustering for war. They say the/;;/ l^itng

THE STORY OF THE KINO’s LETTUCE I09

Majesty’s garden and steal the royal lettuces May I have
your Majesty’s order to take out the soldiers and destroy
them^”

‘ ‘‘Aha*” said the king, “I have thought of a trick worth
two of that ‘Particularly deadly to rabbits ’ Well' Well'
Let them have all the lettuces they want In fact, you are to
take a thousand down to the marshes of Kelfazm and leave
them there Ho* Ho* What a loke* I feel all the better for
It*”

“‘Ah, what deadly cunning*” said El-ahrairah “No
wonder Your Majesty is ruler of a great people I believe
you are already recovering As with many illnesses, the cure
IS simple, once perceived No, no, I will accept no reward
In any case, there is nothing here that would be thought of
value in the shining land beyond the golden river of Frith I
have done as Prince Rambow required It is sufficient
Perhaps you will be so good as to tell your guards to
accompany me to the foot of the hilP” He bowed, and left
the palace

‘ Later that evenmg, as El-ahrairah was urging his rabbits
to growl more fiercely and rim up and down in the marshes
of Kelfazm, Pnnce Rainbow came over the river
‘ “ Ehahrairah,” he called, “am I bewitched*^”

‘ “It IS quite possible,” said El-ahrairah “The dreaded
Lousepedoodle

* “ There are a thousand lettuces m a pile at the top of the
marsh Who put them there

' “ I told you they were being delivered,” said El-ahrairah
You could hardly expect my people, weak and hungry
as they arc, to carry them all the way from King Darzin’s
garden However, they will soon recover now, xmder the
treatment that I shall prescribe I am a physician, I may
say, and if you have not heard as much, Prince Rambow,
you may take it that you soon will, from another quarter
Rabscuttlc, go out and collect the lettuces ”

‘Then Prince Rambow saw that El-ahrairah had been as
good as his word, and that he himself must keep his promise
too He let the rabbits out of tlic marshes of Kelfazm and

no THE JOURNEY

they multiplied everywhere. And from tliat day to
pov/er on earth can keep a rabbit out of a vegetable gar en,
for El-ahrairah prompts them with a thousand tricks, t e
best in the world.*

1 6. Silver weed

He saidj ‘Dance for me’ and he said,

‘You are too beautiful for the wind
To pick at, or the sun to burn ’ He said,

‘ I’m a poor tattered thing, but not unkind
To the sad dancer and the dancing dead ’

Sidney Keyes Four Postures oj Death

‘ Well done/ said Hazel, as Dandelion ended.

‘He’s very good, isn’t he^’ said Silver. ‘We’re lucky^to
have him with us. It raises your spirits just to hear him
* That’s put their ears flat for them,’ whispered Big^viS*
‘Let’s just see them find a story-teller to beat him.’

They were all in no doubt that Dandelion had done them
credit Ever since their arrival most of them had felt out o
their depth among these magnificent, well-fed strangcf^j
with their detached manners, their shapes on the wall, their
elegance, their adroit evasion of almost all questions ~ above
all, their fits of un-rabbit-like melancholy. Now, their own
story-teller had shown that they were no mere bunch o
tramps Certainly, no reasonable rabbit could withhold
admiration They waited to be told as much, but after a few
moments reahzed with surprise that their hosts were
evidently less enthusiastic.

c nice,’ said Cowslip. He seemed to be searching fef

something more to say, but then repeated, ‘Yes, very mce.
An unusual tale.’ ^ /

know it, surely^’ muttered Blackberry to

SILVERWEED

III

‘I always think these traditional stones retain a lot of
charm/ said another of the rabbits, ‘especially when they’re
told in the real, old-fasluoned spirit ’

‘Yes,’ said Strawberry ‘ Conviction, that’s what it needs
You really have to believe m El-ahrairah and Prince Rain-
bow, don’t you^ Then all the rest follows ’

‘Don’t say anything, Bigwig,’ whispered Hazel for Big-
wig was scuffling his paws mignantly ‘You can’t force
them to like it if they don’t Let’s wait and see what they can
do themselves ’ Aloud, he said, ‘ Our stories haven’t changed
in generations, you loiow After all, we haven’t changed
ourselves Our lives have been the same as our fathers’ and
their fathers’ before them Things are different here We
reahze that, and we think your new ideas and ways are very
exciting We’re all wondering what kind of things you tell
stones about ’

‘Well, we don’t tell the old stones very much,’ said Cow-
shp ‘ Our stories and poems are mostly about our own lives
heie Of course, that Shape of Laburnum that you saw -
that’s old-fashioned now El-ahrairah doesn’t really mean
much to us Not that your friend’s story wasn’t very charm-
ing/ he added hastily

‘El-ahrairah is a tnckster/ said Buckthorn, ‘and rabbits
Will always need tncks ’

‘No,’ said a new voice from the further end of the hall,
beyond Cowslip ‘ Rabbits need digmty and above all, the
Will to accept their fate ’

We think Silverweed is one of the best poets we’ve had for
many months,’ said Cowslip ‘His ideas have a great follow-
mg Would you like to hear lum now^’

Yes, yes,’ said voices from all sides ‘ Silvcrw'ccd * ’

Hazel,’ said Fiver suddenly, ' I want to get a clear idea of
tins Silverweed, but I daren’t go closer by myself Will you
come with me^’

Why, Fiver, whatever do you mcan^ Wliat is there to be
afraid oP’

Oh, Frith help me*’ said Fiver, trembling, ‘I can smell
him from here He temfics me ’

1 12 the journey

‘Ohj Fiver, don’t be absurd' He just smells the same as
the rest of them ’

‘He smells like barley rained do^vn and left to rot in the
fields. He smells like a wounded mole that can’t get under-
ground ’

‘He smells like a big, fat rabbit to me, with a lot of carrots
inside But I’ll come with you ’

When they had edged their way through the crowd to the
far end of the burrow, Hazel was surprised to realize that
Silvenveed was a mere youngster. In the Sandleford warren
no rabbit of his age would have been asked to tell a story,
except perhaps to a few fiiends alone. He had a vdld,
desperate air and his ears twitched continually As he began
to speak, he seemed to grow less and less aware of his
a.udience and contmually turned his head, as though
listening to some sound, audible only to himself, from the
entrance tunnel behind him But there was an arresting
fascination in his voice, like the movement of wdnd and light
on a meadow, and as its rhythm entered into his hearers the
whole burrow became silent

The wind is blowing, blowing over the grass.

It shakes the v/iUow catkins, the leaves shine silver.

Where are you going, wind^ Far, far away
Over the hills, over the edge of the w^orld.

Take me with you, wind, high over the sky.

I will go with you, I wtH be rabblt-of-the-^vind,
nto the sky, the feathery sky and the rabbit.

The str(^rn is running, running over the gravel,

o^s^n^^ hrooklime. the kingcups, the blue and gold

Where arc you going, stream’ Far, far away
^ sliding away all mght

I win cr^ '^1. stream, aw-ay in the starlight.

DoviT JT’ ^ rabbit-of-the-strim,

roug the v/ater, the green water and the rabbit

Thev l^ves come blowing, yellow and brown.

Vvhfup ^ ditches, they tug and hang on the hedge.

Imo Far. far away

mo tho earth

SILVERWEED

Take me, leaves, O take me on your darl journey
I Will go with you, I will be nbbit-of-thc-Icavcs,

In the deep places of the earth, tlic cirtli and the rabbit

Frith lies in the evening si y The clouds arc red about him
lam here, Lord Fnth, I am running through the long grass
O take me with )ou, dropping behind the woods,

Far nwny, to the heart oflight, the silence
For r am ready to give you my breath, my life,

A he shining circle of the sun, the sun and the mhbit

^^4 THE JOURNEY

Fiver was already beyond them and thnisting towards the
tother entrance tunnel liazel felt that he must follow him.
But after all the trouble that he himself had taken to be
triendly, he felt so cross at the way in which Fiver had
antagonized their new friends that as he passed Bigwig, he
sai , ome and help me to get some sense into him The
ast t ng we want is a fight now.’ He felt that Fiver really
deserved a short touch of Bigwig.

They foUowed Fiver up the run and overtook Iiim at the
Before either of them could say a woid, he turned
speak as though they had asked liim a question
ou ielt It, then ^ And you want to know whether I did^
f That s the worst part of it There isn’t any

V truth So long as he speaks the truth it

Tint NT ^ ° ^ ~ ^ what you’re going to say, isn’t it? I’m

I , ^^ing you, Hazel I felt myself moving toivards him

mor^eZ another. But then at the last

wTTZ f ^ " It wasn’t my own

me that ra There was just some little part of

hall was ft I say the roof ?f that

to co4^ ttn u ^ ^st of folly

Frith’s heht ^ ° ^ we shall never see to go by

'^at on earthfall lt^

plexity. Hazel to Bigwig m per-

there,’ aiwrfd ^

seems to think we sImiM ^

him and his fancy talk - anything to do with

can save your breath R than I can imagine You

us is the row you Ve ^t only thing that’s bothering

is. FU keep Sfiy^LTf ^ Silverweed, all I can say

Fwer glzcTZtt Weed ’

seemed Hrger than hi-Th that, hke a fly’s,

believe that But each of^ ^ou think that,’ he said ‘You
mist Where is the thick in that

Hazel mterrupted hm and aa he did so Fiver started

THE SHINING WIRE

‘Fiver, I won’t pretend that I didn’t follow you up here to
speak angnly You’ve endangered our good start in this
warren

'Endangered^’ cried Fiver ‘Endangered^ Why, the
whole place -’

'Be quiet I was going to be angry, but you’re obviously so
much upset that it would be pointless But what you are going
to do now IS to come underground with the two of us and
sleep Come on * And don’t say any more for the moment ’

One respect in which rabbits’ lives are less comphcated
than those of humans is that they are not ashamed to use
force Having no alternative, Fiver accompamed Hazel and
Bigwig to the burrow where Hazel had spent the previous
night There was no one there and they lay down and slept

1 7 The Shining Wire

When the green field comes off like a hd
Revealing what was much better hid.

Unpleasant,

And look • Behind, without a sound
The woods have come up and are standing round
In deadly crescent
And the bolt is sliding in its groove.

Outside the window is the black remover’s van.

And now with sudden, swift emergence
Gome the women in dark glasses, the hump backed surgeons
And the scissor-man

W H Auden The Witnesses

It was cold, it was cold and the roof was made of bones The
roof was made of the interlaced sprays of the yew tree, stiff
^igs twisted in and out, over and under, hard as ice and set
^th dull-red bemes ‘Gome on, Hazel,* said Gowshp
We’re going to carry the yew berries home m our mouths
and eat them in the great burrow Your friends must learn
to do that if tliey want to go our way ’ ‘ No * No * ’ cncd Fiver,

Il6 THE JOURNEY

‘Hazel, no ' ’ But then came Big%vig, twisting in and
branches, his mouth full of bcirics. ‘Looh^ said
‘I can do it. I’m running another way Ash me wn »
Hazel' Ask me where! Ask me wlicrc'’ Then
running another way, running, not to the warren DU ^
the fields in the cold, and Bigwig dropped ^Uie
blood-red drops, red droppings hard as wire. ^It s no go ?
he said ‘No good biting them. They’re cold.’

Hazel woke. He was m the burrow. He shivei ed.
there no warmth of rabbit bodies lying close togc
Where was Fiver? He sat up. Near by. Bigwig was stirri
and twitching m his sleep, searching for warmth, trying
press against another rabbit’s body no longer
shallow hollow m the sandy floor where Fiver had lam \
not quite cold* but Fiver was gone.

‘Fiver*’ said Hazel in the dark. -

As soon as he had spoken he knew there would be
He pushed Bigwig with his nose, butting urgently. Big'^iS*

Fiver’s gone' Bigwig!’ ^ , i

Bigwig was wide awake on the instant and idaze
never felt so glad of his sturdy readiness.

‘What did you say? What’s, wrong ? ’

‘Fiver’s gone ’

‘Where’s he gone ^

‘Silf - outside It can only be silf You know he woul n
go wandering about m the wairen. He hates it ’

‘He’s a nuisance, isn’t he^ He’s left this burrow cold, toc^
You think he’s m danger, don t you ? You want to go an
look for him?’

‘Yes, I must He’s upset and over-wrought and its
not light yet There may be ehl, whatever Strawberry
says ’

Bigwig hstened and smffed for a few moments.

‘ It’s very nearly light,’ he said. ‘There’U be light enough
to find him by Well, I’d better come with you, I suppose.
Don’t worry - he can’t have gone far. But by the King s

Lettuce' I won’t half give him a piece of my mind when we
catch him > ^ ^

THE SHINING WIRE

117

*ril hold him down while you hick him, if only we can
find him Come on ' *

They \s ent up the run lo the mouth of tlic hole and paused
together ‘Since our friends aren’t here to push us,’ said
Bigwig, ‘we may as w^cll make sure the place isn’t crawding
With stoats and owls before we go out ’

At that moment a brown owd’s call sounded from the
opposite w»ood It was tlie first call, and by instinct they both
crouched motionless, counting four heartbeats until the
second followed

I It’s moving aw'ay^’ said Hazel

‘How many field-mice say tliat every night, I w^onder^
You know the call’s deceptive It’s meant to be ’

‘Well, I can’t help it,^ said Hazel ‘ Fiver’s somewhere out
there and I’m going after him You were right, anyway It zs
fight -just’

Shall we look under the y'’cw tree first

But Fiver w^as not under the yew tree The light, as it
gJ*cw, began to show the upper field, while the distant hedge
and brook remained dark, hnear shapes below Bigwig
jumped down from the bank into the field and ran in a long
cu^c across the wet grass He stopped almost opposite the
ole by which they had come up, and Hazel joined him
Here’s his line all right,’ said Bigwig ‘Fresh, too From

t e hole straight down towards the brook He won’t be far
away ’

When raindrops are lying it is easy to see where grass has
recently been crossed They followed the line down the field
and reached the hedge beside the carrot-ground and the
source of the brook Bigwig had been right when he said the
^0 Was fresh As soon as they had come through the hedge
ney saw Fiver He was feeding, alone A few fragments of
carrot were still lying about near the spring, but he had left
nese untouched and was eating the grass not far from the

gnarled crab-apple tree They approached and he looked
up

Hazel said nothing and began to feed beside him He was
^ow regretting that he had brought Bigwig In the darkness

Il8 THE JOURNEY

before morning and the first shock of discovering that Fiver
was gone. Bigwig had been a comfort and a stand-by. But now,
as he saw Fiver, small and familiar, incapable of hurting
anyone or of concealing what he felt, trembling in the wet
grass, either from fear or from cold, his anger melted away.
He felt only sorry for him and sure that, if they could stay
alone together for a while, Fiver would come round to an
easier state of mind But it was probably too late to persuade
Bigwig to be gentle • he could only hope for the best.

Contrary to his fears, however, Bigwig remained as silent
as himself Evidently he had been expecting Hazel to speak
first and was somewhat at a loss. For some time all three
moved on quietly over the grass, while the shadows grew
stronger and the wood-pigeons clattered among the distant
trees. Hazel was beginning to feel that all would be well and
that Bigwig had more sense than he had given him credit for,
when Fiver sat up on his hind legs, cleaned his face with his
paws and then, for the first time, looked directly at him,

I m going now,’ he said. ‘I feel very sad. I’d like to wish
you well. Hazel, but there’s no good to wish you m this place.
So just good-bye ’

But where are you going. Fiver ? ’

^Away To the hills, if I can get there ’

^By yourself, alone ^ You can’t. You’d die ’

You wouldn’t have a hope, old chap,’ said Bigivig.
Something would get you before ni-Frith ’

‘No,’ said Fiver very quietly ‘You are closer to death
than I.’

‘^e you trying to frighten me, you miserable little lump
ol chattering duckweed ^ ’ cried Bigwig ‘ I’ve a good mind

< said Hazel ‘Don’t speak roughly to him.’

^ Why, you said yourself began Bigwig.

know But I feel differently now* I’m sorry. Bigwig. I
was going to ask you to help me to make him come back to
e warren But now - well, I’ve always found that there
was something m what Fiver had to say. For the last two
«ays 1 ve refused to hsten to him and I stiU think he’s out of
his senses. But I haven’t the heart to drive him back to the

THE SHINING V/IRE

warren I really believe that for some reason or other the
place IS fnghtcning him out of his wits Til go with him a
little way and perhaps we can talk I can^t ask you to risk it
too Anyway, the others ought to know what we’re doing
and they won’t unless you go and tell them I’ll be back
before ni-Fnth I hope we both shall ’

Bigwig stared Then he turned funously on Fiver ‘You
wretched httle black beetle,’ he said ' You’ve never learnt to
obey orders, have you^ It’s me, me, me all the time “Oh,
I’ve got a funny feeling m my toe, so we must all go and
stand on our heads And now we’ve found a fine warren
and got into it without even having to fight, got to do
your best to upset everyone * And then you risk the life of one
of the best rabbits we’ve got, just to play nursey while you go
wandenng about hke a moon-struck field-mouse Well, Fm
finished with you, I’ll tell you plain And now I’m going
back to the warren to make sure everyone else is finished
with you as well And they will be - don’t make any mistake
about that ’

He turned and dashed back through the nearest gap in
the hedge On the instant, a fearful commotion began on the
farther side There were sounds of kicking and plunging A
stick flew into the air Then a flat, wet clot of dead leaves
shot clean through the gap and landed clear of the hedge,
close to Hazel The brambles thrashed up and down Hazel
and Fiver stared at each other, both fighting against the
impulse to run What enemy was at work on the other side
of the hedge ^ There were no cries - no spitting of a cat, no
squeahng of a rabbit - only the crackling of twigs and the
tearing of the grass in violence

By an effort of courage against all instinct. Hazel forced
himself forward into the gap, with Fiver following A terrible
sight lay before them The rotten leaves had been thrown up
m showers The earth had been laid bare and was scored
with long scratches and furrows Bigwig was lymg on his
side, his back legs kicking and struggling A length of
twisted copper wire, gleaming dully m the first sunlight, was
looped round lus neck and ran taut across one fore-paw to

120 THE JOURNEY

the head ofa stout peg driven into the gi'ound The running
knot had pulled tight and was buried in the fur behind his
ear. The projecting point of one strand had lacerated his
neck and drops of blood, dark and red as yew berries, welled
one by one down his shoulder. For a few moments he lay
panting, his side heaving in exhaustion. Then again began
the strugghng and fighting, backwards and forwards, jerking
and falhng, until he choked and lay quiet

Frenzied with distress. Hazel leapt out of the gap and
squatted beside him Bigwig’s eyes were closed and his lips
pulled back from the long front teeth in a fixed snarl He had
bitten his lower lip and from this, too, the blood was run-
mng. Froth covered his jaws and chest.

‘Thlayh!’ said Hazel, stamping ‘Thlayh! Listen! You're
in a snare - a snare! What did they say in the Owsla? Come
on — thmk How can we help you ^ ’

There was a pause Then Bigwig’s back legs began to
kick once more, but feebly. His ears drooped. His eyes
opened unseeing and the whites showed blood-shot as the
bro^vn irises rolled one way and the other After a moment
his voice came thick and low, bubbhng out of the bloody
spume in his mouth.

Owsla — no good — biting wire Peg — got to — dig out.’
A commision shook him and he scrabbled at the ground,
covering himself m a mask of wet earth and blood. Then he
was still again.

‘Run, Fiver, run to the warren,’ cried Hazel ‘Get the
others - Blackberry, Silver Be qmck! He’ll die.’

Fiver was off up the field like a hare. Hazel, left alone,
tried to understand what was needed What was the peg?
How was he to dig it out ^ He looked down at the foul mess
e ore him. Bigwig was lying across the wire, which came
wt under his beUy and seemed to disappear into the ground
Mel ^niggled with his own incomprehension. Bigwig had
sai , Dig. That at least he understood He began to scratch
into t e soft earth beside the body, until after a time his
c aws scraped against somethmg smooth and firm As he
pause , perplexed, he found Blackberry at his shoulder.

THE SHINING WIRE

I2I

* Bigwig just spoke/ he said to him, ‘but I donH think he
can now He said, “ Dig out tlie peg What does that mean ^
What have we got to do^’

‘Wait a moment,® said Blackberry ‘Let me think, and
try not to be impatient ®

Hazel turned his head axid looked down the course of the
brook Far away, between the two copses, he could see the
cherry tree where two days before he had sat with Black-
berry and Fiver in the sunrise He remembered how Bigwig
had chased Hawkbit through the long grass, forgetting the
quarrel of the previous night in the joy of their arrival He
could see Hawkbit runmng towards him now and two or
three of the others - Silver, Dandehon and Pipkm Dande-
hon, well in front, dashed up to the gap and checked,
twitching and staring

‘What is it, Hazel ^ What’s happened^ Fiver said
‘Bigwig’s m a wire Let him alone till Blackberry tells us
Stop the others crowding round ’

Dandehon turned and raced back as Pipkin came up
‘Is Cowslip coming^’ said Hazel ‘Perhaps he knows
‘He wouldn’t come,’ rephed Pipkin ‘He told Fiver to
stop talking about it ’

‘Told him whaP^ asked Hazel incredulously But at that
moment Blackberry spoke and Hazel was beside him in a
flash

‘This IS it,’ said Blackberry ‘The wire’s on a peg and the
peg’s in the ground - there, look We’ve got to dig it out
Gome on — dig beside it ’

Hazel dug once more, his fore-paws throwing up the soft,
wetsoil and shpping against the hard sides of the peg Dimly,
he was aware of the others waiting near-by After a time he
was forced to stop, panting Silver took lus place, and was
followed by Buckthorn The nasty, smooth, clean, man-
smelhng peg was laid bare to the length of a rabbit’s ear, but
still It did not come loose Bigwig had not moved He lay
across the wire, torn and bloody, with closed eyes Buckthorn
drew his head and paws out of the hole and rubbed the mud
off his face

122

THE JOURNEY

‘The peg’s narrower down there/ he said. ‘It tapers I
think it could be bitten tlnough, but I can’t get my teeth
to it ’

‘Send Pipldn in,’ said Blackberry. ‘He’s smaller.’

Pipkin plunged into the hole. They could hear the wood
splintering under his teeth - a sound like a mouse in a shed
wainscot at midnight. Pic came out with his nose bleeding.

‘The splinters prick you and its hard to breathe, 'but the
peg’s nearly through ’

‘Fiver go in,’ said Hazel.

Fiver was not long in the hole Pie, too, came out bleeding.

‘It’s broken in two It’s free ’

Blackberry pressed his nose against Bigwig’s head. As he
nuzzled him gently the head rolled sideways and back
again.

‘Bigwig,’ said Blackberry in his ear, ‘the peg’s out.’

There was no response. Big\\dg lay still as before. A great
fly settled on one of his ears Blackberry thrust at it angrily
and it flew up, buzzing, into the sunshine.

‘I thmk he’s gone,’ said Blackberry' ‘I can’t feel his
bieathing.’

Hazel crouched down by Blackberry and laid his nostrils
close to Bigwig’s, but a light breeze was blowing and he
could not tell whether there was breath or not The legs
were loose, the belly flaccid and hmp He tried to think of
what httle he had heard of snares. A strong rabbit could
reak his neck in a snare. Or had the point of a sharp wire

pierced the wind-pipe?

Bigwig, he whispered, ‘we’ve got you out. You’re free.’
i^ig did not stir Suddenly it came to Hazel that if
mgwig was dead - and what else could hold him silent in the
himself must get the others away before the
^rea loss could drain their courage and break their spirit
as It would if they stayed by the body. Besides, the man
Perhaps he was already coming, with his
Bigwig away They must go; and he must

wlint h them - even he himself - put

t had happened out of mind, for ever.

THE SHINING WIRE I23

* My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped
running today/ he said to Blackberry^ quoting a rabbit
proverb

*If only it were not Bigwug/ said Blackberry ‘What shall
we do without him ^ ’

‘The others are waiting/ said Hazel ‘We have to stay
alive There has to be something for them to tlunk about
Help me, or it -will be more than I can do ’

He turned away from tlic body and looked for Fiver
among tlic rabbits behind him But Fiver was nowhere to be
seen and Hazel was afraid to ask for him, in case to do so
should seem like weakness and a need for comfort

‘Pipkin,’ he snapped, ‘why don’t you clean up your face
and stop die bleeding^ The smell of blood attracts elil You
know diat, don’t you^’

‘Yes, Hazel I’m sorry Will Bigwig -’

‘And another thing,’ said Hazel desperately ‘What was it
you were tclhng me about Cowslip^ Did you say he told
Fiver to be quiet

‘Yes, Hazel Fiver came into the warren and told us about
the snare, and that poor Bigwig
‘Yes, all right And then Cowslip -
‘ Cowshp and Strawberry and the others pretended not to
hear It was ridiculous, because Fiver was calhng out to
every^body And then as we were running out^Silvcr said to
Cowslip, “Surely you’re coming^” And Cowshp simply
turned his back So then Fiver went up and spoke to lum
very quietly, but I heard what Cowshp answered He said,
“Hills or Inl6, it’s all one to me where you go You hold your
tongue ” And then he struck at Fiver and scratched his ear ’

‘ I’ll kill him,’ gasped a low, choking voice behind them
They all leapt round Bigwig had raised his head and was
supporting himself on his fore-paws alone His body was
twisted and his hmd-parts and back legs still lay along the
ground His eyes were open, but his face was such a fearful
mask of blood, foam, vomit and earth that he looked more
like some demon-creature than a rabbit The immediate
sight of him, which should have filled them with rehef and

124

THE JOURNEY

joy, bi ought only terror. They cringed away and none said
a word.

‘I’ll kill him,’ repeated Bigwig, spluttering through his
fouled whiskers and clotted fur. ‘Help me, rot youl Can’t
anyone get this stinking wire off me ? ’ He struggled, dragging
his hind-legs. Then he fell again and crawled forward,
traihng the wire through the grass with the broken peg
snickering behind it

‘Let him alone'’ cried Hazel, for now they were all
pressing forward to help him. ‘ Do you want to kill him ? Let
him restl Let him breathe!’

‘No, not rest,’ panted Bigwig. ‘I’m all right ’ As he spoke
he fell again and immediately struggled up on his fore-paws
as before ‘ It’s my back legs. ’Won’t move. That Cowslip '
I’ll kill him ! *

‘Why do we let them stay in that warren?’ cried Silver.
‘What sort of rabbits are they They left Bigwig to die. You
all heard Cowslip in the burrow. They’re cowards Let’s
drive them out - lull them ! Take the warren and live there
ourselves ' ’

‘Yes' Yes'’ they all answered ‘Come on! Back to the

wairen' Down with Cowslip' Down with Silverweed' Kill
them'’

0 emhleer Frith cried a squealing voice in the long
grass

At this shocking impiety, the tumult died away They
p o ked about them, wondering who could have spoken
There was silence Then, from between two great tussocks of
air-grass came Fiver, his eyes blazing with a frantic urgency.
He growled and gibbered at them like a witch-hare and
those nearest to him fell back m fear. Even Hazel could not

have said a word for his life They realized that he was
Speaking

‘The warren? You’re going to the warren? You fools'
That warren’s nothing but a death-hole! The whole nlarp I'-s
one foul ehl’s larder' It’s snared - everywhere, eve^y day'

Trcame happened since

THE SHINING WIRE I25

He sat still and his words seemed to come crawlmg up the
sunlight, over the grass

* Listen, Dandehon You’re fond of stories, aren’t you ^ I’ll
tell you one - yes, one for El-ahrairah to cry at Once there
was a fine warren on the edge of a wood, overlooking the
meadows of a farm It was big, full of rabbits Then one day
the white blindness came and the rabbits fell sick and died
But a few survived, as they always do The warren became
almost empty One day the farmer thought, “I could in-
crease those rabbits make them part of my farm - their
meat, their skins Why should I bother to keep rabbits in
hutches ^ They’ll do very well where they are ” He began to
shoot all elil ~ lendn, homba, stoat, owl He put out food for
the rabbits, but not too near the warren For his purpose
they had to become accustomed to going about in the fields
and the wood And then he snared them - not too many as
many as he wanted and not as many as would fnghten them
all away or destroy the warren They grew big and strong
and healthy, for he saw to it that they had all of the best,
particularly in winter, and nothmg to fear - except the
running knot in the hedge-gap and the wood-path So they
hved as he wanted them to hve and all the time there were a
few who disappeared The rabbits became strange m many
ways, different from other rabbits They knew well enough
what was happening But even to themselves they pretended
that all was well, for the food was good, they were protected,
they had nothing to fear but the one fear, and that struck
here and there, never enough at a time to drive them away
They forgot the ways of wild rabbits They forgot EI-
ahrairah, for what use had they for tncks and cunning, hvmg
in the enemy’s warren and paying his priced They found out
other marvellous arts to take the place of tricks and old
stones They danced in ceremonious greeting They sang
songs like the birds and made shapes on tlie walls, and
though these could help them not at all, yet they passed
the time and enabled them to tell tliemselves that they were
splendid fellows, the very flower of Rabbi try, cleverer than
magpies They had no Chief Rabbit - no, how could they ^ -

126

THE JOURNEY

for a Chief Rabbit must be El-ahrairah to his warren and
keep them from death : and here there was no death but one,
and what Chief Rabbit could have an answer to that^
Instead, Frith sent them strange singers, beautiful and sick
hke oak-apples, like robins’ pm-cushions on the wild rose.
And since they could not bear the truth, these singers, who
might in some other place have been wise, were squeezed
under the terrible weight of the warren’s secret until they
gulped out fine folly — about dignity and acquiescence, and
anything else that could make believe that the rabbit loved
the shming wire But one strict rule they had; oh yes, the
strictest No one must ever ask where another rabbit was
and anyone who asked, “ Where — except m a song or a
poem— must be silenced To say “ Where ^ ” was bad enough,
but to speak openly of the wires — that was intolerable For
that they would scratch and kill.’

He stopped No one moved. Then, m the silence, Bigwig
lurched to his feet, swayed a moment, tottered a few steps
towards Fiver and fell again Fiver paid him no heed but
looked from one to another among the rabbits Then he
began speaking again.

j^d then we came, over the heather in the night Wild

rabbits, malang scrapes across the valley. The warren

^^dn t show themselves at once. They needed to

t what was best to be done But they hit on it quite soon.

lo bnng us into the warren and tell us nothing. Don’t you

j only sets so many snares at a time and if one

ra it los, the others will five that much longer. You

^gge^e that Hazel should tell them our adventures,

lackberry, but it didn’t go down well, did it^ Who wants

o near about brave deeds when he’s ashamed of his own,

j ^ ° o open, honest tale from someone he’s

^ ° want me to go on ? I tell you, every single

tfipm ^ ^ nppened fits hke a bee in a foxglove. And kill

sfinll ourselves to the great burrow? We

vvaresi Hoir"' T ^ shimng

res. Help ourselves to misery and death!’

nver sank down into the grass Bigwig, stiU traihng his

128

THE JOURNEY

tiembling and his great size seemed only to add to his air of
stricken misery. He cringed before them in the grass as
Hazel waitedj stern and motionless, with Silver at his side.
Hazel, said Strawberry, ‘are you going away?’

Hazel made no answer, but Silver said sharply, ‘Whads
that to you?’

you ’ Theie was no leply and he lepeated,
Take me with you.’

We don t caie for creatures who deceive us,’ said Silver.

^ etter go back to Nildro-hain. No doubt she’s Jess par-
ticular.’

Strawberry gave a kind of choking scpieal, as though he
a been wounded He looked from Silver to Hazel and

^ Fiver. At last, in a pitiful whisper, he said,

1 he wires.’

Sdver was about to answer, but Hazel spoke first.
Poor^ell^^^’^^^^ with us,’ he said ‘Don’t say any more.

A few rninutes later the rabbits had crossed the cart-track
od into the copse beyond. A magpie, seeing some
r'Ue uured object conspicuous on the empty slope, flew
a tn *7 ° there was a sphntered peg and

a twisted length of wire

PART II ON WATERSHIPDOWN

1 8 Watership Down

i What IS now proved was once only imagin’d

William Blake The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

It was evening of the following day The north-facing
escarpment of Watership Down, in shadow since early
mormng, now caught the western sun for an hour before
twihght Three hundred feet the down rose vertically m a
stretch of no more than six hundred - a precipitous wall,
from the thin belt of trees at the foot to the ridge where the
steep flattened out The light, full and smooth, lay hke a gold
rmd over the turf, the furze and yew bushes, the few wind-
stunted thorn trees From the ndge, the hght seemed to
cover all the slope below, drowsy and still But down m the
grass itself, between the bushes, m that thick forest trodden
by the beetle, the spider and the hunting shrew, the moving
hght was hke a wind that danced among them to set them
scurrying and weaving The red rays flickered m and out of
the grass stems, flashing minutely on membranous wings,
casting long shadows behind the thinnest of filamentary legs,
breaking each patch of bare soil mto a myriad individual
grams The insects buzzed, whined, hummed, stndulated
and droned as the air grew warmer m the sunset Louder yet
calmer than they, among the trees, sounded the yellow-
hammer, the linnets and greenfinch The larks went up,
twittering m the scented air above the down From the
summit, the apparent immobihty of the vast, blue distance
was broken, here and there, by wisps of smoke and tmy,
momentary flashes of glass Far below lay the fields green
with wheat, the flat pastures grazed by horses, the darker
greens of the woods They too, like the hillside jungle, were
tumultuous with evemng, but from the remote height turned

PART II ON WATERSHIPDOWN

1 8 Waterslup Down

/ What IS now proved was once only imagin’d

William Blake The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

It was evening of the following day The north-facing
escarpment of Watership Down, in shadow since early
morning, now caught tlie western sun for an hour before
twihght Three hundred feet the down rose vertically in a
stretch of no more than six hundred ~ a precipitous wall,
from the thin belt of trees at the foot to the ridge where the
steep flattened out The light, full and smooth, lay like a gold
rind over the turf, the furze and yew bushes, the few wmd-
stunted thorn trees From the ndge, the light seemed to
cover all the slope below, drowsy and still But down m the
grass Itself, between the bushes, in that thick forest trodden
by the beetle, the spider and the hunting shrew, the moving
hght was hke a wind that danced among them to set them
scurrying and weaving The red rays flickered in and out of
the grass stems, flashing minutely on membranous wings,
casting long shadows behind the thinnest of filamentary legs,
breaking each patch of bare soil into a myriad individual
grains The insects buzzed, whined, hummed, stndulated
and droned as the air grew warmer in the sunset Louder yet
calmer than they, among the trees, sounded the yellow-
hammer, the linnet and greenfinch The larks went up,
twittering in the scented air above the down From the
summit, the apparent immobihty of the vast, blue distance
was broken, here and there, by wisps of smoke and tmy,
momentary flashes of glass Far below lay the fields green
with wheat, the flat pastures grazed by horses, the darker
greens of the woods They too, like the hiUside jungle, were
tumultuous with evemng, but from the remote height turned

130

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

to stillness, their fierceness tcmpcicd b> the air that lay

bet^veen.

At the foot of the tin f cliff, Hazel and his companions were
crouching under the low branches of two or three spindle-
trees Since the previous morning they had journeyed nearly
three miles. Their luck had been good, for everyone who
had left the warren was still alive. They had splashed through
two brooks and wandered fearfully in the deep woodlands
west of Ecchinswell. They had rested m the straw of a
Staiweall, or lonely barn, and woken to find themselves
attacked by rats. Silver and Buckthorn, with Bigwig helping
them, had covered the retreat until, once all were together
outside, they had taken to flight. Buckthorn had been
bitten in the foreleg and the wound, in the manner of a rat-
bite, was irritant and painful Skirting a small lake, they had
^ great, grey fislier-bird that stabbed and
paddled in tlie sedge, until a flight of wild duck had
rig tened them away with their clamour. They had crossed
more than half a mile of open pasture witliout a trace of
cover, ^pectmg every moment some attack that did not
come. They had heard the unnatural humming of a pylon in
e summer air; and had actually gone beneath it, on
iver s assurance that it could do them no harm. Now they
lay under the spindle-trees and sniffed in weariness and
ou t at the strange, bare country round them
^ince leaving the warren of the snares they had become
ewder, a tenacious band who understood each
rpv together. There was no more quarrelling,

had ^ warrcu had been a grim shock. They

otherV ^ ^gether, relying on and valuing each
on They knew now that it was on these and

ffoino- to 5 ^ depended, and they were not

spite of V they possessed between them. In

there was not one
was turned sick at heart to tlunk that Big-

WATERSHIP DOWN

himself he would have died, for which else, of them all,
would not have stopped running after such punishment^
There was no more questioning of Bigwig’s strength, Fiver’s
insight, Blackberry’s wits or Hazel’s authority When the
rats came. Buckthorn and Silver had obeyed Bigwig and
stood their ground The rest had followed Hazel when he
roused them and, without explanation, told them to go
qmckly outside the barn Later, Hazel had said that there
was nothing for it but to cross tlic open pasture and under
Silver’s direction they had crossed it, with Dandehon run-
ning ahead to reconnoitre When Fiver said the iron tree was
harmless they believed him

Strawberry had had a bad time His misery made him
slow-\\ ittcd and careless and he was ashamed of the part he
had played at the %varrcn He was soft and more used than
he dared admit to indolence and good food But he made no
complaint and it was plain that he was determined to show
what he could do and not to be left behind He had proved
useful in the woodland, being better accustomed to thick
woods than any of the others ‘He’ll be all right, you know,
if we give him a chance,’ said Hazel to Bigwag by the lake
‘So he darned well ought to be,’ replied Bigwig, ‘the great
dandy’ ~ for by their standards. Straw berry w as scrupulously
clean and fastidious ‘'Well, I w^on’t have him brow-bcaten,
mind Tliat won’t help him ’ This Bigwjg had
accepted, though rather sulkilv Yet he himself had become
less overbearing The snare had left him weak and ov^cr-
wrought It w^as he who had giv cn tlic alarm in the barn, for
he could not sleep and at tlic sound o! scnUching had started
up at once He would not let Silver and Buckthorn fight
alone, but he had felt obliged to Icav c the v orst of it to them
For the first time in his life, Bigw ig had found himself dnv en
to moderation and prudence
As die sun sank lower and touched the edge of the cloud-
belt on the hori/on, Hazel came out from under the branches
and looked carcfulK round the lower slope llicn he sta^^d
upw \rds o\cr the ant-hilb to the open down nung above
1 w cr and \com followed him out and fell to nibbling at a

132 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

patch of sainfoin. It was new to them, but they did not need
to be told that it was good and it raised their spirits Hazel
turned back and joined them among the big, rosy-veined,
magenta flower-spikes.

‘Fiver,’ he said, ‘let me get this right. You want us to
chmb up this place, however far it is, and find shelter on the
top. Is that It ^ ’

‘Yes, Hazel.’

‘But the top must be very high. I can’t even see it from
here It’ll be open and cold.’

‘Not in the ground, and the soil’s so light that we shall be
able to scratch some shelter easily wdien we find the right
place ’

Hazel considered again ‘It’s getting started that bothers
me. Here we are, all tired out. I’m sure it’s dangerous to
stay here We’ve nowhere to run to We don’t know the
country and we can’t get underground But it seems out of
the question for everybody to chmb up there tonight. We
should be even less safe ’

‘We shall be forced to dig, shan’t we^’ said Acorn. ‘This
place IS almost as open as that heather we crossed, and the
trees won’t hide us from anything hunting on four feet ’

‘ It would have been the same any time we came,’ said
Fiver

‘ I’m not saying anything against it, Fiver,’ replied Acorn,
‘but we need holes It’s a bad place not to be able to get
underground.’

‘Before everyone goes up to the top,’ said Hazel, ‘we
ought to find out what it’s like I’m going up myself to have
a look round. I’ll be as quick as I can and you’ll have to

hope for the best until I get back. You can rest and feed
anyway ’

You re not going alone,’ said Fiver firmly
Since each one of them was ready to go with him in spite
w their fatigue. Hazel gave in and chose Dandelion and
Hawkbit, who seemed less weary than the others. They set
out up the hillside, going slowly, picking their way from one
us and tussock to another and pausing continually to sniff

WATERSHIP DOWN I33

and stare along the great expanse of grass, which stretched
on cither side as far as they could see
A man walks upnght For him it is strenuous to climb a
steep hill, because he has to keep pushing his own vertical
mass upwards and cannot gam any momentum The rabbit
IS better off liis forelegs support his horizontal body and the
great back legs do the work They are more than equal to
thrusting uphill the light mass in front of them Rabbits can
go fast uphill In fact, they have so much power behmd that
they find going downhill awkward, and sometimes, in flight
down a steep place, they may actually go head over heels
On the other hand the man is five or six feet above the hill-
side and can see all round To him tlie ground may be steep
and rough but on the whole it is even, and he can pick his
direction easily from the top of his moving, six-foot tower
The rabbits’ anxieties and strain m chmbing the down were
different, therefore, from those wluch you, reader, will
experience if you go there Their main trouble was not
bodily fatigue When Hazel had said tliat they were all
tired out, he had meant that they were feeling the strain of
prolonged insecunty and fear

Rabbits above ground, unless they arc in proved, familiar
surroundings close to their holes, live in continual fear If it
grows intense enough they can become glazed and paral)'scd
by it - t/iam, to use their own w^ord Hazel and his com-
panions had been on the jump for nearly two days Indeed,
ever since they had left tlicir home wnrren, five da)^ before,
they liad faced one danger after anoUicr Tlicy were all on
edge, sometimes starting at nothing and again, lying down
in any patch of long grass that offered Bigwig and Bucl-
thom smelt of blood and everyone else 1 new they did Whrt
bothered Hazel, Dandelion and Haw kbit was the openness
and strmgcncvs of the dowaa and their inabilitv to see verv
fir ahead They climbed not over but through the sun-red
graw, among the av akened m«:cct movement and the light
ablaze The gra^^s undiilati d about them Tlicy peered over
imt-hilh and lotd ed cauuou^ly round dumps of te They

could not tell how fwaw iv the i id gc might be Thev topped

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

134

each short slope only to find another above it. To Hazel, it
seemed a likely place for a weasel : or the white owl, perhaps,
might fly along the escarpment at twilight, loolang inwards
with Its stony eyes, ready to turn a few feet sideways and
pick off the shelf anything that moved. Some ehl wait for
their prey, but the white owl is a seeker and he comes in
silence.

As Hazel still went up, the south wind began to blow and
the June sunset reddened the sky to the zenith Hazel, hke
nearly all wild animals, was unaccustomed to look up at the
sky. What he thought of as the sky was the horizon, usually
broken by trees and hedges Now, with his head pointing
upwards, he found himself gazing at the ridge, as over the
sky-hne came the silent, moving, red-tinged cumuli. Their
movement was disturbing, unlike that of trees or grass or
rabbits These great masses moved steadily, noiselessly
and always in the same direction. They were not of his
world

‘ O Frith,’ thought Hazel, turning his head for a moment
to the bright glow in the west, ‘are you sending us to live
among the clouds ^ If you spoke truly to Fiver, help me to
trust him At this moment he saw Dandehon, who had run
well ahead, squatting on an ant-hill clear against the sky.
Alarmed, he dashed forward.

Dandelion, get down * ’ he said ‘ Why are you sitting up
there ’

Because I can see,’ rephed Dandehon, with a kind of
exited joy. Come and look* You can see the whole world ’
Hazel came up to him There was another ant-hill near-
y and he copied Dandelion, sitting upright on his hind legs
an ooking about him He reahzed now that' they were
a most on level ground Indeed, the slope was no more than
gent c or some way back along the hne by which they had
come, but he had been preoccupied with the idea of danger
n le ®pcn and had not noticed the change They were on
op o 1C own Ferched above the grass, they could see far

Their surroundings were empty. If any-
L been moving they would have seen it im-

WATERSHIP DOWN

^35

mediately and where the turf ended, tlie sky began A man,
a fox - even a rabbit - coming over the down would be
conspicuous Fiver had been right Up here, they would
have clear warning of any approach

The wind ruffled their fur and tugged at the grass, which
smelt of thyme and self-heal The sohtude seemed like a
release and a blessing The height, the sky and the distance
went to their heads and they skipped in the sunset * O Frith
on the hills'’ cried Dandelion ‘He must have made it for
us*’

‘He may have made it, but Fiver thought of it for us,’
answered Hazel ‘Wait till we get him up here* Fiver-rah* ’

‘Where’s Hawkbit^’ said Dandelion suddenly

Although the hght was still clear, Hawkbit was not to be
seen anywhere on the upland After staring about for some
time, they ran across to a little mound some way away and
looked again But they saw nothing except a field-mouse,
which came out of its hole and began fumcking in a patch
of seeded grasses

‘He must have gone down,’ said Dandelion

‘Well, whether he has or not,’ said Hazel, ‘ we can’t go on
looking for him The others are waiting and they may be in
danger We must go down ourselves ’

‘What a shame to lose him, though,’ said Dandehon, ‘just
when we’d reached Fiver’s hills without losing anyone He’s
such a duffer, we shouldn’t have brought him up But how
could anything have got hold of him here, without our
seeing ^ ’

‘No, he’s gone back for sure,’ said Hazel ‘ I wonder what
Bigwig will say to him^ I hope he won’t bite him again
We’d better get on ’

‘Are you going to bung them up tonight^’ asked Dande-
lion

‘I don’t know,’ said Hazel ‘It’s a problem Where’s the
shelter to be found

They made for the steep edge The light was beginning to
fail They picked their direction by a clump of stunted trees
which they had passed on their way up These formed a kind

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

136

of dry oasis - a little featuie common on the downs. Half a
dozen thorns and two or three ciders grew together above
and below a bank. Between them the ground was bare and
the naked chalk showed a pallid, dirty white under the
cream-coloured elder bloom. As they approached, tlicy
suddenly saw Hawkbit sitting among the thorn trunks,
cleamng his face with his paws.

‘We’ve been looking for you,’ said Hazel. ‘Where in the
world have you been ? ’

‘I’m sorry. Hazel,’ rephed Hawkbit meekly. ‘I’ve been
looking at these holes I thought they might be some good
to us ’

In the low bank behind him were three rabbit holes.
There were two more flat on the ground, between the thick,
gnarled roots They could see no foot-marks and no drop-
pings The holes were clearly deserted

‘ Have you been down ^ ’ asked Hazel, snifiing round
‘Yes, I have,’ said Hawkbit. ‘Three of them, anyway.
They’re shallow and rather rough, but there’s no smell of
death or disease and they’re perfectly sound I thought they
might do for us - just for the moment, anyway.’

In^ the twihght a swift flew screaming overhead and
Hazel turned to Dandelion

‘ News ' News ’ ’ he said. ‘ Go and get them up here ’
Thus It fell to one of the rank-and-file to make a lucky find
that brought them at last to the downs . and probably saved
a life or two , for they could hardly have spent the night in
the open, either on or under the hill, without being attacked
by some enemy or other.

1 9 Fear m the Dark

*\Vho’s in the next room^ - who^

A figure wan

With a message to one in there of something due^

Shall I know him anon?’

*Yca, he, and he brought such, and you’ll know him anon *

Thomas Hardy ]VJi6*s xn the Next Room ^

The holes certainly were rough - ‘Just right for a lot of
vagabonds like us/ said Bigwig - but the exhausted and
those who wander in strange country are not particular
about their quarters At least there was room for twelve
rabbits and the burrows were dry Two of the runs ~ the
ones among the thorn trees - led straight down to burrows
scooped out of the top of the chalk subsoil Rabbits do not
hne their sleeping-places and a hard, almost rocky floor is
uncomfortable for those not accustomed to it The holes in
the bank, however, had runs of the usual bow-shape, leading
down to the chalk and then curving up again to burrows
with floors of trampled earth There were no connecting
passages, but the rabbits were too weary to care They slept
four to a burrow, snug and secure Hazel remained awake
for some time, licking Buckthorn’s leg, which was stiff and
tender He was reassured to find no smell of infection, but all
that he had ever heard about rats decided him to see that
Buckthorn got a good deal of rest and was kept out of the
dirt until the wound was better ‘ That’s the third one of us
to get hurt still, all m all, things could have been far worse,’
he thought, as he fell asleep

♦Bigwig’s word wns hlesstl, which I have rendered in various places
in the story as wanderers, scratchers, vagabonds A hlesstis a rabbit living
in the open, without a hole Solitary bucks and unmated rabbits who
are wandering do this for quite long periods, especially in summer
Bucks do not usually dig much in any case, although they will scratch
'' shallow shelters or make use of existmg holes where these are available
Beal digging is done for the most part by does preparing for litters

138 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

The short June darkness slipped by in a few hours The
light returned early to the high down but the rabbits did not
stir Well after dawn they were still sleeping, undistuibcd in
a silence deeper than they had ever known Nowadays,
among fields and woods, the noise level by day is high - too
high for some kinds of animal to tolerate Few places arc far
from human noise — cars, buses, motor-cycles, tractors,
lorries The sound of a housing estate in the morning is
audible a long way off. People who record bird-song gener-
ally do it very early — before six o’clock — if they can. Soon
after that, the invasion of distant noise in most woodland
becomes too constant and too loud. During the last fifty
years the silence of much of the country has been destroyed
But here, on Watership Dovm, there floated up only faint
traces of the dayhght noise below.

The sun was well up, though not yet as high as the down,
when Hazel woke With him in the burrow were Buckthorn,
Fiver and Pipkin He was nearest to the mouth of the hole
and did not wake them as he shpped up the run Outside, he
stopped to pass hraka and then hopped through the thorn
patch to the open grass Below, the country was covered
with early morning mist which was beginning to clear. Here
and there, far off, were the shapes of trees and roofs, from
which streamers of mist trailed down hke broken waves
pouring from rocks The sky was cloudless and deep blue,
darkening to mauve along the whole rim of the horizon The
^nd had dropped and the spiders had already gone well
down into the grass It was going to be a hot day.

Hazel rambled about in the usual way of a rabbit feeding
- five or six slow, rocking hops through the grass, a pause to
00 round, sitting up with ears erect; then busy nibblmg for
tiiue, followed by another move of a few yards For
t e first time for many days he felt relaxed and safe He

egan to wonder whether they had much to learn about
tneir new home

Fiver Was right,’ he thought ‘ This is the place for us But
i^ed to get used to it and the fewer mistakes we
3 ^ e t e better. I wonder what became of the rabbits who

FEAR IN THE HARK

139

made tliese holes ^ Did they stop runmng or did tliey just
move away ^ If we could only find them they could tell us a
lot’

At this moment he saw a rabbit come rather hesitantly
out o£the hole farthest from himself It was Blackberry He,
too, passed hraka, scratched himself and then hopped into
the full sunlight and combed his ears As he began to feed
Hazel came up and fell m with him, nibbhng among the
grass tussocks and wandering on wherever his friend
pleased They came to a patch of milkwort - a blue as deep
as that of the sky - with long stems creeping through the
grass and each minute flower spreading its two upper petals
hke wings Blackberry smffed at it, but the leaves were
tough and unappetizing

*What is this stuff, do you know^’ he asked
‘No, I don’t,’ said Hazel, ‘I’ve never seen it before ’
‘There’s a lot we don’t know,’ said Blackberry ‘About
this place, I mean The plants are new, the smells are new
We’re going to need some new ideas ourselves ’

‘Well, you’re the fellow for ideas,’ said Hazel ‘I never
know anything until you tell me ’

‘But you go m front and take the risks first,’ answered
Blackberry ‘We’ve all seen that And now our journey’s
over, isn’t it^ This place is as safe as Fiver said it would be
Nothing can get near us without our knowing that is, as
long as we can smell and see and hear ’

‘ We can all do that ’

‘Not when we’re asleep and we can’t see in the dark ’
‘It’s bound to be dark at night,’ said Hazel, ‘and rabbits
have got to sleep ’

‘In tlie open^’

‘Well, we can go on using these holes if we want to, but I
expect a good many will he out After all, you can’t expect a
bunch of bucks to dig They might make a scrape or two -
hke that day after we came over the heather - but they won’t
do more than that ’

‘That’s what I’ve been thinking about,’ said Blackberry
‘Those rabbits we left - Gowshp and the rest - a lot of the

140 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

things they did weren’t natural to rabbits - pushing stones
into the earth and carrying food underground and Frith
knows what ’

‘The Threarah’s lettuce was carried underground, if it
comes to that.’

‘Exactly Don’t you see, they’d altered what rabbits do
naturally because they thought they could do better ? And if
they altered their ways, so can we if we like. You say buck
rabbits don’t dig. Nor they do. But they could, if they
wanted to. Suppose we had deep, comfortable burrows to
sleep in^ To be out of bad weather and underground at
^^§ht^ Then we would be safe And there’s nothing to stop us

having them, except that buck rabbits won’t dig Not can’t —
won’t ’

What s your idea, then ^ ’ asked Hazel, half-interested
and half-reluctant ‘Do you want us to try to turn these
holes into a regular warren?’

No, these holes won’t do It’s easy to see why they’ve
een deserted Only a httle way down and you come to this
hard, white stuff that no one can dig. They must be bitterly
cold m winter. But there’s a wood just over the top of the
1 . got a glimpse of it last mght when we came. Suppose
we go up higher now, just you and I, and have a look at it ? ’
ihey ran uphill to the summit The beech hanger lay
some httle way off to the south-east, on the far side of a grassy
tiack that ran along the ridge

‘There are some big trees there,’ said Blackberry. ‘The

ground pretty deep. We

w.r. were in the old

c^n\- u and the others won’t dig or say they

and ^ bleak here That’s why it’s lonely

be dnvon° when bad weather comes we shall

Dc^dnven off the hills for sure ’

dirr re^ln ^ entered my head to try to make a lot of bucks

down the ^ doubtfully, as they returned

do abbit kittens need holes, of course; but

‘We were all born

in a warren that was dug before our

PEAR IN THE DARK

I4I

mothers were bom/ said Blackberry ‘We’re used to holes
and not one of us has ever helped to dig one And if ever
there \vas a new one, who dug it^ A doe I’m quite sure,
myself, that if we don’t change our natural ways we shan’t
be able to stay here very long Somewhere else, perhaps, but
not here ’

‘It’ll mean a lot of work ’

‘ Look, there’s Bigwig come up now and some of the others
with lum Why not put it to them and see what they say^’

During silflay, however, Hazel mentioned Blackberry’s
idea to no one but Fiver Later on, when most of the rabbits
had fimshed feeding and were either playmg in the grass or
lying m the sunshine, he suggested that they might go across
to the hanger — ‘just to see what sort of a wood it is ’ Bigwig
and Silver agreed at once and in the end no one stayed
belund

It was different from the meadow copses they had left a
narrow belt of trees, four or five hundred yards long but
barely fifty wide, a kind of wind-break common on the
downs It consisted almost entirely of well-grown beeches
The great, smooth trunks stood motionless in their green
shade, the branches spreading flat, one above another in
cnsp, light-dappled tiers Between the trees the ground was
open and offered hardly any cover The rabbits were per-
plexed They could not make out why the wood was so light
and still and why they could see so far between the trees
The continuous, gentle rustling of the beech leaves was un-
like the sounds to be heard in a copse of nut-bushes, oak and
silver birch

Moving uncertainly in and out along the edge of the
hanger, they came to the north-east comer Here there was
a bank from which they looked out over the empty stretches
of grass beyond Fiver, absurdly small beside the hulking
Bigwig, turned to Hazel with an air of happy confidence

‘I’m sure Blackberry’s right. Hazel,’ he said ‘We ought
to do our best to make some holes here I’m ready to try,
anyway ’

The others were taken aback Pipkin, however, readily

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

142

joined Hazel at the foot of the bank and soon two or three
more began scratching at the hght soil The digging was
easy and although they often broke off to feed or merely to
sit in the sun, before midday Hazel was out of sight and
tunnelling between the tree-roots.

The hanger might have httle or no undergrowth but at
least the branches gave cover from the ^ky * and kestrels, they
soon realized, were common in this sohtude. Although
kestrels seldom prey on anything bigger than a rat, they will
sometimes attack young rabbits No doubt this is why most
grown rabbits will not remain under a hovering kestrel.
Before long. Acorn spotted one as it flew up from the south.
He stamped and bolted into the trees, followed by the other
rabbits who were m the open. They had not long come out
and resumed digging when they saw another - or perhaps
the same one - hovering some way off, high over the very
fields that they had crossed the previous morning Hazel
placed Buckthorn as a sentry while the day’s haphazard
work went on, and twice more during the afternoon the
alarm was given In the early evening they were disturbed
by a horseman cantering along the lidge-track that passed
the north end of the wood. Otherwise they saw nothing
larger than a pigeon all day.

After the horseman had turned south near the summit of
Watership and disappeared in the distance. Hazel returned
to the edge of the wood and looked out northwards towards
the bright, still fields and the dim pylon-line stalking away
into the distance north of Kangsclere. The air was cooler and

the sun was beginning once more to reach the north escarp-
ment

I think \\ c’ve done enough,’ he said, ‘for today, anyw^ay.

should like to go down to the bottom of the hill and find
some rcallv good grass. This stuff’s all right in its way but it’s
rather thm and dry Does anyone feel like coming with me ? ’

agv.ig, Dandelion and Speedwell were ready, but the
ot icrs preferred to graze their way back to the thorn-trees
am go underground with tlie sun. Bigwig and Hazel picked
the hne that offered most cover and, with the others follow-

FEAR IN THE DARK I43

ingj set out on the four or five hundred yards to the foot of
the hill They met no trouble and were soon feeding in tlie
grass at the edge of tlie wheat-field, the very picture of
rabbits in an evemng landscape Hazel, tired though he
was, did not forget to look for somewhere to bolt if there
should be an alarm He was luclcy enough to come upon a
short length of old, overgrown ditch, partly fallen m and so
heavily overhung with cow-parsley and nettles that it was
almost as sheltered as a tunnel, and all four of them made
sure that they could reach it quickly from the open

‘That’ll be good enough at a pinch,’ said Bigwig, munch-
mg clover and smffing at the fallen bloom from a wayfaring
tree ‘ My goodness, we’ve learnt a few things since we left the
old warren, haven’t we^ More tlian we’d have learnt in a
hfe-time back there And digging* It’ll be flying next, I
suppose Have you noticed tliat tins soil’s qmte different
from the soil m the old wanen^ It smells differently and it
slides and falls qmte differently too ’

‘That reminds me,’ said Hazel ‘I meant to ask you
There was one thing at that terrible warren of Cowshp’s that
I admired very much - the great burrow I’d like to copy it
It’s a wonderful idea to have a place underground where
everybody can be together - talk and tell stories and so on
What do you think ^ Gould it be done^’

Bigwig considered ‘ I know this,’ he said ‘ If you make a
burrow too big the roof starts falling in So if you want a
place hke that you’ll need something to hold the roof up
What did Gowshp have^’

‘Tree roots ’

‘Well, there are those where we’re digging But are they
thejnght sort^’

‘We’d better get Strawberry to tell us what he knows
about the great burrow, but it may not be much I’m sure
he wasn’t ahve when it was dug ’

‘ He may not be dead when it falls in either That warren’s
tharn as an owl in daylight He was wise to leave when he
did’

Twalight had fallen over the cornfield, for although long,

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

144

red rays still lit the upper dowuij the sun had set below. The
uneven shadow of the hedge had faded and disappeared.
There was a cool smell of moisture and approaching dark-
ness A cockchafer droned past. The grasshoppers had fallen
silent.

‘Owls’ll be out/ said Bigwig ‘Let’s go up again ’

At this moment, from out in the darkenmg field, there
came the sound of a stamp on the ground It was followed by
another, closer to them, and they caught a glimpse of a winte
tail. They both immediately ran to the ditch. Now that they
had to use it m earnest, they found it even narrower than
they had thought. There was just room to turn round at the
far end and as they did so Speedwell and Dandehon tumbled
in behind them

‘What IS it^’ asked Hazel ‘"VXdiat did you hear?’
‘There’s something coming up the hne of the hedge,’
rephed Speedwell ‘An animal Making a lot^of noise, too.’
‘Did you see it^’

‘No, and I couldn’t smell it either It’s down-wind But I
heard it plamly enough ’

‘ I heard it too,’ said Dandehon ‘ Something fairly big — as
big as a rabbit, anyway - movmg clumsily but trying to keep
concealed, or so it seemed to me.’

‘Homba'^’

No, that we should have smelt,’ said Bigwig, ‘wind or no
wind. From what you say, it sounds like a cat I hope it’s not
a stoat. Hoi, hoi, u embleer hvair ^ What a nuisance! We’d

better sit tight for a bit But get ready to bolt if it spots
us ’

They waited. Soon it grew dark Only the faintest light
came through the tangled summer growth above them The
ar end of the ditch was so much overgrown that they could
not see out of it, but the place where they had come in
s owe as a patch of sky — an arc of very dark blue. As the
ime passed, a star crept out from among the overhanging
^a^ses t seemed to pulsate in a rhythm as faint and uneven

from^vatchin length Hazel turned his eyes away

FEAR IN THE DARK

145

‘Well, wc can snatch some sleep hcrc,^ he said ‘The
night^s not cold Whatever it was you heard* we’d better not
risk going out ’

‘Listen,’ said Dandelion ‘^^^lat’s that^’

Foi a moment Hazel could hear nothing Then he caught
a distant but clear sound — a kind of waihng or crying,
wavenng and intermittent Although it did not sound hkc
any sort of hunting call, it was so unnatural that it filled him
mth fear As he listened, it ceased

‘What m Filth’s name makes a noise like that^’ said
Big\vig, his great fur cap hackling between his ears
‘A cat^’ said Speedwell, wide-eyed
‘That’s no cat^’ said Bigwig, his lips diawn back in a
stificned, unnatural grimace ‘That’s no cat* Don’t you
know what it is^ Your mother He broke off Then he
said, very low, ‘Your mother told you, didn’t she^’

‘No*’ cried Dandelion, ‘No* It’s some bird ~ some rat -
wounded

Bigwig stood up His back was arched and his head
nodded on his stiffened neck

‘ The Black Rabbit of Inl^,’ he whispered ‘ What else - in
a place like this ^ ’

‘Don’t talk like that*’ said Hazel He could feel himself
trembling, and braced his legs against the sides of the
narrow cut

Suddenly the noise sounded again, nearer and now tliere
could be no mistake What they heard was the voice of a
rabbit, but changed out of all recognition It might have
come from the cold spaces of the dark sky outside, so un-
eartlily and desolate was the sound At first there was only a
wailing Then, distinct and beyond mistaking, they heard -
they all heard — words

cried the dreadful, squeahng voice ‘All

dead * 0 zom ' ’

Dandelion whimpered Bigwig was scuffling into the
ground

means 'finished* or ‘destroyed’, in the sense of some terrible
catastrophe

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

146

*Be quiet!’ said Hazel, ‘and stop Idcldng that earth over
me’ I want to hsten ’

At that moment, quite distinctly, the voice cried,
‘Thlayhl O Thlayh’’

At this, all four rabbits felt the trance of utter panic. They
grew rigid. Then Bigwig, his eyes set in a fixed, glazed stare,
began to jerk his way up the ditch towards the opening.
‘You have to go,’ he muttered, so thickly that Hazel could
hardly catch the words ‘You have to go when he calls you.’

Hazel felt so much frightened that he could no longer
collect his wits As on the river bank, his surroundings be-
came unreal and dream-hke. Who — or what — was calling
Bigwig by name^ How could any hving creature m this
' place know his name? Only one idea remained to him —
Bigwig must be prevented from going out, for he was help-
less. He scrambled past him, pressing him against the side of
the ditch

‘ Stay where you are,’ he said, panting ‘Whatever sort of
rabbit it is, I"m going to see for myself ’ Then, his legs almost
giving way beneath him, he pulled himself out into the
open

For a few moments he could see httle or nothing; but the
smells of dew and elder-bloom were unchanged and his nose
brushed^ against cool grass-blades. He sat up and looked
about him. There was no creature near-by.

‘Who’s there?’ he said.

was silence, and he was about to speak again when
the voice replied, ‘Zorn! O zorn’’

It came from the hedge along the side of the field. Hazel

turned towards the sound and in a few moments made out,

mi er a clump of hemlock, the hunched shape of a rabbit.

e approached it and said, ‘Who are you?’ but there was

no reply As he hesitated, he heard a movement behind him.

m ere. Hazel,’ said Dandehon, in a kind of choking
gasp. ’ ®

^^7 went closer. The figure did not move as
as starlight they both saw a rabbit

as lemselves • a rabbit in the last stages of exhaustion,

A nOKEYCOMB A^D A MOUSE I47

Us back legs trailing behind its flattened rump as though
paralj^cd a rabbit that staicd, \vhuc~cycd, from one side to
the other, seeing nothing, yet finding no respite from its fear,
and then fell to licking wretchedly at one ripped and bloody
car that drooped across its face a rabbit that suddenly cried
and mailed as though entreating the Tiiousand to come
from cvery^ quartet to nd it of a misciy too terrible to be
borne

It \vas Captain Holly of the Sandlcford ONVsla

20 A Honeycomb and a Mouse

His face w'xs that of one uho has undergone a long journey

Tlie Epic of Gilgamesh

In the Sandlcford warren, Holly had been a rabbit of conse-
quence He was greatly relied upon by the Threarah and
had more than once earned out difficult orders witli a good
deal of courage During the early spring, when a fox had
moved into a ncighbounng copse, Holly, with two or three
volunteers, had kept it steadily under observation for several
days and leported all its movements, until one evening it
left as suddenly as it had come Although he had decided on
his own initiative to arrest Bigwig, he had not the reputation
of being vindictive He was, rather, a stander of no nonsense
who knew when duty was done and did it himself Sound,
unassuming, conscientious, a bit lacking in the rabbit sense
of mischief, he was something of the born second-m-
command There could have been no question of trying to
persuade him to leave the warren with Hazel and Fiver To
find him under Watership Down at all, therefore, was
astomshing enough But to find him m such a condition was
all but incredible

In the first moments after they had recogmzed the poor

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

148

creatTire under the hemlock. Hazel and Dandelion felt com-
pletely stupefied, as though they had come upon a squirrel
tmderground or a stream that flowed uphill. They could not
trust their senses. The voice in the dark had proved not to
be supernatural, but the reality was fHglitening enough.
How could Captain Holly be here, at the foot of the down?
And what could have reduced him - of all rabbits - to this
state?

Hazel pulled himself together. Whatever the explanation
■ might be, the immediate need was to take first things first.
They were m open country, at night, away from any refuge
but an overgrown ditch, with a rabbit who smelt of blood,
was crying uncontrollably and looked as though he could
not move There might very well be a stoat on his trail at
this moment If they were going to help him they had better
be quick.

* Go and tell Bigwig who it is,’ he said to Dandelion, 'and
come back with him. Send Speedwell up the hill to the others
and tell him to make it clear that no one is to come down.
They couldn’t help and it would only add to the risk.’

Dandelion had no sooner gone than Hazel became aware
that something else was moving in the hedge. But he had no
time to wonder what it might be, for almost immediately

another rabbit appeared and limped to where Holly was
lying

‘You must help us if you can,’ he said to Hazel 'We’ve

had a very bad time and my master’s ill. Can we get under-
ground here?’

Hazel recogmzed him as one of the rabbits who had come
but he did not know his name,
hy did you stay in the hedge and leave film to crawl
about in the open?’ he asked

when I heard you coming,’ replied the other
1 1 the captain to move. I thought you

^ ere e 1 and there was no point in staying to be killed. I
don t tlnnk I could fight a field-mouse ’

anci'i. ? ^ ^ Imow me^ ’ said Hazel. But before the other could
er, andehon and Bigwig came out of the darkness

A HONEYCOMB AND A MOUSE I49

Bigwig Stared at Holly for a moment and then crouched
before him and touched noses

‘Holly, this IS Thlayli/ he said ‘You were calhng me ’
Holly did not answer, but only stared fixedly back at him
Bigwig looked up ‘Who’s that who came with him^’ he
said ‘Oh, it’s you, Bluebell How many more of you^’

‘No more,’ said Bluebell He was about to go on when
Holly spoke

‘Thlayh,’ he said ‘So we have found you ’

He sat up with difficulty and looked round at them
‘You’re Hazel, aren’t you^’ he asked ‘And that’s - oh, I
should know, but I’m m very poor shape, I’m afraid ’

‘ It’s Dandehon,’ said Hazel ‘ Listen - 1 can see that you’re
exliausted, but we can’t stay here We’re in danger Can you
come with us to our holes ^ ’

‘Captain,’ said Bluebell, ‘do you know what the first
blade of grass said to tlie second blade of grass ^ ’

Hazel looked at him sharply, but Holly replied, ‘ WelP’
‘It said, “Look, there’s a rabbit* We’re m danger*” ’
‘This is no time began Hazel

‘Don’t silence him,’ said Holly ‘We wouldn’t be here at
all without his blue-tit’s chatter Yes, I can go now Is it
far^’

‘Not too far,’ said Hazel, thinking it all too hkely that
Holly would never get there

It took a long time to chmb the lull Hazel made them
separate, himself remaimng with Holly and Bluebell, while
Bigwig and Dandehon went out to either side Holly was
forced to stop several times and Hazel, full of fear, had hard
work to suppress his impatience Only when the moon
began to rise - the edge of its great disc growing brighter and
brighter on the skyhne below and behind them - did he at
last beg Holly to hurry As he spoke he saw, m tlie white
light, Pipkin coming down to meet them

‘What are you doing he said sternly ‘I told Speedwell
no one was to come down ’

‘It isn’t Speedwell’s fault,’ said Pipkm ‘You stood by me
at the river, so I thought I’d come and look for you, Hazel

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

150

Anyv^^ay, the holes are just here Is it really Captain Holly
you’ve found ^ ’

Bigwig and Dandelion approached.

*I’ll tell you what,’ said Bigwig ‘These two will need to
rest for a good long time. Suppose Pipkin hcic and Dandc-
hon take them to an empty buirow and stay with them as
long as they want^ The rest of us had better keep away until
they feel better.’

‘Yes, that’s best,’ said Hazel. ‘I’ll go up with you
now ’

They ran the short distance to the thoi'n-trccs. All the
other rabbits were above ground, waiting and whispering
together

‘ Shut up,’ said Big\vig, before anyone had asked a ques-
tion ‘Yes, It IS Plolly, and Bluebell is with him — no one else.
They re in a bad way and they’re not to be troubled. We’ll
leave this hole empty for them Now I’m going underground
myself and so will you if you’ve got any sense ’

^ But before he went, Bigwig turned to Hazel and said,

, You got yourself out of that ditch down there instead of me,
didn’t you. Hazel ^ I shan’t forget that ’

Hazel remembered Buckthorn’s leg and took liim down
with him Speedwell and Silver followed tliem.

‘I say, what’s happened, HazeH’ asked Silver. ‘It must

be something very bad. Holly would never leave the
1 nrearah

1 Hazel, ‘and neither does anyone

e se yet e 1 have to wait until tomorrow Holly may stop
runmng ut don t think Bluebell will Now let me alone to
do this leg of Buckthorn’s ’

asleep ^ better and soon Hazel fell

next day was as hot and cloudless as the last Neither
were at mormng silflay; and Hazel
With thP Others up to the beech hanger to go on

burrow n Pf questioned Strawberry about the great

'With a ceihng, as well as being vaulted

g o fibres, was strengthened by roots going

A HONEYCOMB AND A MOUSE I5I

vertically down into the floor He remarked that he had not
noticed these

‘There aren^t many, but they’re important/ said Straw-
berry ‘ They take a lot of the load If it weren’t for tliose
roots the ceihng would fall after heavy ram On stormy
nights you could sense the extra weight in the eartli above,
but there was no danger ’

Hazel and Bigwig went underground with him The
beginnings of the new warren had been hollowed out among
the roots of one of the beech trees It was still no more than a
small, irregular cave with one entrance They set to work to
enlarge it, digging between the roots and tunnelhng up-
wards to make a second run that would emerge inside the
wood After a time Strawberry stopped digging and began
moving about between tlie roots, sniffing, biting and
scuffling in the soil with his front paws Hazel supposed that
he was tired and pretending to be busy while he had a rest,
but at length he came back to them and said that he had
some suggestions

‘It’s this way,’ he explained ‘There isn’t a big spread of
fine roots above here That was a lucky chance m the great
burrow and I don’t think we can expect to find it again But
all the same, we can do pretty well with what we’ve got ’
‘And what have we got^ ’ asked Blackberry, who had come
down the run while he was tallang

‘ Well, we’ve got several thick roots that go straight down -
more than there were in the great burrow The best thing
will be to dig round them and leave them They shouldn’t
be gnawed through and taken out We shall need them if
we’re going to have a hall of any size ’

‘Then our hall will be full of these thick, vertical roots
asked Hazel He felt disappointed

‘Yes, it will,’ said Strawberry, ‘but I can’t see that it’s
going to be any the worse for that We can go in and out
among them and they won’t hinder anyone who’s talking or
telling a story They’U make the place warmer and they’ll
help to conduct sound from above, which might be useful
some time or other ’

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

152

The excavation of the hall (which came to be known
among them as the Honeycomb) turned out to be something
of a triumph for Strawbcrr}^ Hazel contented himself with
organizing the diggers and left it to Strawberr}’’ to say what
was actually to be done The work went on in shifts and the
labbits took it in tuins to feed, play and lie m the sun above
ground. Throughout the day the solitude lemaincd un-
broken by noise, men, tractors or even cattle, and they
began to feel still more deeply what they owed to Fiver’s
insight. By the late aftei noon the big burrow was beginning
to take shape. At the north end, the beech roots formed a
kind of irregular colonnade This gave way to a more open,
central space: and beyond, where there were no supporting
roots. Strawberry left blocks of the earth untouched, so that
the south end consisted of three or four separate bays These
narrowed into low-roofed runs that led away into sleeping
burrows.

Hazel, much better pleased now that he could see for
himself how the business was going to turn out, was sitting
with Silver m the mouth of the run, when suddenly there
was a stamping of ‘Hawk! Hawk! ’ and a dash for cover by
the rabbits outside. Hazel, safe where he was, remained
looking out past the shadow of the wood to the open, sunlit
grass beyond. The kestrel sailed into view and took up
station, the black-edged flange of its tail bent down and its
pointed wings beating rapidly as it searched the down below.

But do you think it would attack us?’ asked Hazel,
watching It drop lower and recommence its poised fluttering.

Surely it s too small ? ’

‘You’re probably right,’ rephed Silver. ‘AU the same,

feeding?’

■R' ^ ^ to try standing up to some of these elil,’ said

i3i^gwig, who had come up the run behind them. ‘We’re
many. But a bird from the air would be
’ especially if it came fast. It might get the better of
even a big rabbit if it took him by surprise ’

suddenly. ‘There, look. Poor

A HONEYCOMB AND A MOUSE I53

They could all see the field-mousCj which was exposed in a
patch of smooth grass It had evidently strayed too far from
Its hole and now could not tell what to do The kestrel’s
shadow had not passed over it, but the rabbits’ sudden dis-
appearance had made it uneasy and it was pressed to the
ground, looking uncertainly this way and that The kestrel
had not yet seen it, but could hardly fail to do so as soon as
it moved

‘Any moment now,’ said Bigwig callously
On an impulse, Hazel hopped down the bank and went a
htde way into the open grass Mice do not speak Lapine, but
there is a very simple, limited lingua franca of the hedgerow
and woodland Hazel used it now
‘Run,’ he said ‘Here, quick ’

The mouse looked at him but did not move Hazel spoke
again and the mouse began suddenly to run towards him as
the kestrel turned and slid sideways and downwards Hazel
hastened back to the hole Loolung out, he saw the mouse
following him When it had almost reached the foot of the
bank it scuttered over a fallen twig with two or tliree green
leaves The twig turned, one of the leaves caught the sun-
hght slanting through the trees and Hazel saw it flash for an
instant Immediately the kestrel came lower in an oblique
glide, closed its wings and dropped

Before Hazel could spring back from the mouth of the
hole, the mouse had dashed between his front paws and was
pressed to the ground between his back legs At the same
moment the kestrel, all beak and talons, hit the loose earth
immediately outside hke a missile thrown from the tree
above It scuffled savagely and for an instant the three
rabbits saw its round, dark eyes looking straight down the
run Then it was gone The speed and force of the pounce,
not a length away, were terrifying and Hazel leapt back-
wards, knocking Silver off his balance They picked them-
selves up m silence

‘Like to try standing up to that one^ ’ said Silver, looking
round at Bigwig ‘Let me know when Vll come and
watch ’

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

154

‘Hazel/ said Bigwig. ‘I know*' you’ic not stupid, but what
did we get out of that? Are you going in for protecting every'
mole and shrew that can’t get underground?’

The mouse had not moved. It was still ciouching a little
inside the run, on a level with their heads and outhned
against the light. Hazel could see it watching him.

‘Perhaps hawk not gone,’ he said ‘You stay now. Go
later ’

Bigwig was about to speak again when Dandelion ap-
peared in the mouth of the hole He looked at the mouse,
pushed It gently aside and came down the run.

‘Hazel,’ he said, ‘I thought I ought to come and tell you
about Holly He’s much better this evening, but he had a
very bad mght and so did we Every time he seemed to be
going to sleep, he kept starting up and crying. I thought he
was gomg out of his mind. Pipkin kept talking to him - he
was first-rate — and he seems to set a lot of store by Bluebell.
Bluebell kept on makmg jokes He was worn out before tlie
morning and so were the lot of us — we’ve been sleeping all
day Holly s been more or less himself since he woke up tins
afternoon, and he’s been up to silflay. He asked where you

and the others would be tonight and as I didn’t know I came
to ask.’

‘Is he fit to talk to us, then?’ asked Bigwig

‘I think so. It would be the best thing for him, if I’m any

judge* and if he was vnth all of us together he’d be less likely
to have another bad mght ’

‘Well where are we going to sleep?’ said Silver.

A vf The Honeycomb was still rough-dug
^ but It would probably be as comfortable

as ttie holes under the thorn-trees Besides, if it proved other-

the more inducement to improve
actually makmg use of their day’s
verybody and they were likely to
t in the chalk holes.

; said. ‘But we’ll see how the otheis

What’s this mouse doing m here?’ asked Dandelion.

wise^ they would have j
To know that they wi
hard work would pleas
prefer this to a third m

I should think here,’
feel ’

A HONEYCOMB AND A MOUSE I55

Hazel explained Dandelion was as puzzled as Bigmg
had been

*Well, I’ll admit I hadn’t any particular idea when I
went out to help it/ said Hazel ‘ I have now, tliough^ and
I’ll explain later what it is But first of all, Bigwig and I ought
to go and talk to Holly And Dandehon, you go and teU the
rest what you told me, will you, and see what they want to
do tonight^’

They found Holly with Bluebell and Pipkin, on the turf
by the ant-hill where Dandelion had first looked over the
down Holly was sniffing at a purple orchis The head of
mauve blooms rocked gently on its stem as he pushed his
nose against it

‘Don’t frighten it, master,’ said Bluebell ‘It might fly
away After all, it’s got a lot of spots to choose from Look at
them all over the leaves ’

‘ Oh, get along with you. Bluebell,’ answered HoUy good-
humouredly ‘We need to learn about the ground here Half
the plants are strange to me This isn’t one to eat, but at least
there’s plenty of burnet and that’s always good ’ A fly
settled on his wounded ear and he winced and shook lus
head

Hazel was glad to see that Holly was evidently in better
spirits He began to say that he hoped he felt well enough to
join the others, but Holly soon interrupted him with ques-
tions

‘Are there many of you ^ ’ he asked

‘ Hrair,’ said Bigwig

‘All that left tiie warren with, you^’

‘ Every one,’ replied Hazel proudly
‘No one hurt^’

‘Oh, several have been hurt, one way and anodiei ’
‘Never a dull moment, really,’ said Bigwig
‘Who’s this coming'!’ I don’t know him ’

Strawberry came running down from tlie hanger and as
he joined them began to make the same cunous, danang
gesture of head and fore-paws which they had first seen in
the rainy meadow before they entered the great burrow He

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

156

checked himself in some confusion and, lo forestall Bigwig’s
rebuke, spoke lo Hazel at once.

‘Hazel-rah,’ he said (Holly looked startled but said
nothing) ‘everyone wants to stay in the new warren tonight:
and they’re all hoping that Captain Holly will feel able to
tell them ■what’s happened and how he came here.’

‘Well, naturally, we all want to know,’ said Hazel to
Holly ‘This is Strawberry. He joined us on our journey and
we’ve been glad to have him. But do you think you can
manage it?’

‘I can manage it,’ said Holly. ‘But I must warn you that
it will strike the frost into the heart of every rabbit that
hears it ’

He himself looked so sad and dark as he spoke that no one
made any reply, and after a few moments all six rabbits
made their way up the slope in silence When they reached
the corner of the wood, they found the others feedmg or
baskmg m the evenmg sun on the north side of the beech
teees After a glance round among them Holly went up to

Silver, who was feedmg with Fiver in a patch of yellow
trefoil ^ ^

I m glad to see you here. Silver,’ he said. ‘ I hear you’ve
had a rough time.’

‘It hasn’t been easy,’ answered Silver. ‘Hazel’s done
wonders and we owe a lot to Fiver here as well.’

+1, ^ ^eard of you,’ said Holly, turmng to Fiver. ‘You’re

coming. You talked to the

i hrearah, didn t you ? ’

*He talked to me,’ said Fiver.

to you! WeU, it can’t be changed
want tn grow on thistles. Silver, there’s something I

or more easily to you than to Hazel

forHavi-f i ent to make any trouble here - trouble

I harrllvV Y^^r Chief Rabbit now, that’s plam

dead him, but he must be good or you’d all be

other rabhitc squabbling. If any of the

things wdl vn wondering whether I might want to alter
^mgs, wiU you let them Imow that I shan’t^’

A HONEYCOMB AND A MOUSE

157

‘Yes, I will,* Silver

Bigwig came up ‘I know it’s not owl- time )ct,’ he said,
‘but cvcr>'onc*s so cagci to hear you, Holly, tliat tlicy want
to go underground at once Will tliat suit you^’

‘ Underground ^ ’ 1 ephed Holly ‘ But how' can you all hear
me underground ^ I was expecting to talk hei c ’

‘ Come and see,* said Bigwig

Holly and Bluebell w^crc impressed by the Honeycomb
‘This IS something quite new,* said Holly ‘What keeps
the roof up ^ *

‘ It doesn’t need to be kept up,* said Bluebell ‘ It*s right up
tlic hill already *

‘An idea we found on the w^ay,’ said Bigwig
‘Lying in a field,* said Bluebell ‘It*s all light, master, I’ll
be quiet w^hile you’re speaking *

‘Yes, you must,* said Holly ‘Soon no one will w^ant
jokes ’

Almost all the rabbits had followed them down The
Honeycomb, though big enough for everybody, was not so
airy as the great burrow and on this June evemng it seemed
somewhat close

‘We can easily make it cooler, you know,’ said Strawberry
to Hazel ‘ In the great burrow they used to open tunnels for
the summer and close them for the winter We can dig
another run on the evening side tomorrow and pick up the
breeze ’

Hazel was just going to ask Holly to begin when Speed-
well came down the eastern run ‘Hazel,’ he said, ‘your ~ er
^ visitor - your mouse He wants to speak to you ’

‘Oh, I’d forgotten him,’ said Hazel ‘Where is he^’

‘Up the run *

Hazel went up The mouse was waiting at the top
‘You go now^’ said Hazel ‘You think safe^’

‘ Go now,’ said the mouse ‘ No wait owl But a what I like
a say You ’elp a mouse One time a mouse ’elp a you You
want ’im, ’e come ’

‘ Frith m a pond * ’ muttered Bigwig, farther down the run
‘And so will all lus brothers and sisters I dare say the

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

158

place’ll be crawling. Why don’t you ask them to dig us a
burrow or twOj Hazel ’

Hazel watched the mouse make off into the long grass.
Then he returned to the Honeycomb and settled down near
Holly, who had just begun to speak.

21. 'For El-ahrairah to Cry’

Love the animals God has given them the rudiments of tliought and
joy untroubled. Don’t trouble it, don’t harass them, don’t deprive
them of their happiness, don’t work against God’s intent.

Dostoevsky The Brothers Karamazov

Acts of injustice done

Betw'een the setting and the rising sun

In history he like bones, each one.

W. H. Auden The Ascent of F 6

\ The night you left the warren, the Owsla were turned out
to look for you. How long ago it seems now! We followed
your scent down to the brook, but when we told the
Threarah that you appeared to have set off downstream, he
said there was no point in risking lives by following you. If
you were gone, you were gone But anyone who came back
was to be arrested So then I called off the search.

Nothing unusual happened the next day. There was a
certain amount of talk about Fiver and the rabbits who’d
gone with him Everyone knew that Fiver had said that
something bad was going to happen and all sorts of rumours
u ^ of rabbits said there was nothing in it, but some
fp Fiver might have foreseen men with guns and

.a. worst thing anyone tould think of -

that or the white bhndness.

f talked things over with the Threarah.
^ said, "who claim to have the second

6 ve known one or tu’-o in my time But it’s not usually

l6o ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

were - three or four, I suppose. They had long, black legs
and they were burning white sticks in their mouths They
didn’t seem to be going anywhere. They began walking
slowly about in the rain, looking at the hedges and the bi ook.
After a time they ciossed the brook and came clumping np
towards the warren Whenever they came to a rabbit-holc,
one of them would prod at it, and they kept talking all the
time I remember the smell of the cldei bloom in the rain
and the smell of the white sticks. Later, when they came
closer, I slipped underground again I could hear them lor
some time, thumping about and talking. I kept thinking
“Well, they’ve got no guns and no ferrets ” But somehow I
didn’t like it ’

‘What did the Threarah say?’ asked Silver.

‘ I’ve no idea I didn’t ask him and neither did anyone else
as far as I know. I went to sleep and when I woke there was
no sound up above It was evening and I decided to silflay.
The ram had settled in, but I pottered round and fed for a
while all the same I couldn’t see that anything was altered,
except that here and there the mouth of a hole had been

poked m

‘The next morning was clear and fine. Everyone was out
for silflay as usual I remember Nightshade told the
Threarah that he ought to be careful not to tire himself now
that he was getting on in years . and the Threarah said he d
show him who was getting on in years and cuffed him and
pushed him down the bank It was all quite good-humoured,
you know, but he did it just to show Nightshade that the
Chief Rabbit was still a match for him I was going out for
lettuces that morning and for some reason or other I d
decided to go alone ’

‘Three’s the usual number for a lettuce-party,’ said
Bigwig

Yes, I know three used to be the usual number, but there
was some special reason why I went alone that day Oh yes,
I remember — I wanted to see if there were any early carrots
- I thought they might just be ready — and I reckoned that
u I was going hunting about in a strange part of the garden

*rOR EL-AHRAIRAH TO CRY^ l6l

I*d be better ofTb) niy«;clf I \sas out most of the morning
and It can’t have been long before ni-rnlh ^\hcn I came
bach through the wood I was coming down Silent Bank - I
lno\» most rabbits picfeiTcd the Giecn Loose, but I nearly
alwa^ s w ent by Silent Banl Td got into the open part of the
wood, where it comes down towards the old fence, wdicn I
noticed a hnidudu m the lane at the top of the opposite
slope It was standing at the gate by the boaid and a lot of
men were getting out There was a boy wath them and he
had a gun They look down some big, long things - I don’t
know how to describe them to > ou - they w ere made of the
same sort of stuff as a hnidudu and they must have been
hca\y, because it took tw^o men to cany one of them The
men earned these things into the field and the few rabbits
who w^crc above ground went dowai I didn’t I’d seen the
gun and I thought they were probably going to use fcirets
and perhaps nets So I stayed wdierc I was and watched
I thought, “As soon as I’m sure what they’re up to, I’ll go
and warn the Threarah ”

‘There was more talking and moic wlutc sticks Men
never hurry% do they^ Then one of them got a spade and
began filling in the mouths of all tlie holes he could find
Every hole he came to, he cut out the turf above and
pushed It mto the hole Tliat puzzled me, because with
ferrets they want to drive the rabbits out But I was expect-
ing that they’d leave a few holes open and net them
although that would have been a foohsh way to ferret,
because a rabbit that went up a blocked run would be killed
underground and then the man wouldn’t get his ferret back
very easily, you know ’

‘Don’t make it too grim, Holly,’ said Hazel, for Piplan
was shuddering at the thought of the blocked run and the
pursuing ferret

‘Too gnm^’ replied Holly bitterly ‘I’ve hardly started
yet Would anyone like to go away^’ No one moved and
after a few moments he contmued

‘Then another of the men fetched some long, thin, bend-
mg things I haven’t got words for all these men-things, but

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

162

they were something like lengths of very thick bramble.
Each of the men took one and put it on one of the heavy
things There was a land of hissing noise and - and - well, I
know you must find this difficult to understand, but the air
began to turn bad For some reason I got a strong scent of
this stuff that came out of the bramble-thmgs, even though
I was some way off* and I couldn’t see or think I seemed to
be falhng I tried to jump up and run, but I didn’t know
where I was and I found I’d run down to the edge of the
wood, towards the men I stopped just in tune. I was
bewildered and I’d lost all idea of warning the Threarah.
After that I just sat where I was. '•

‘The men put a bramble into each hole they’d left open
and after that nothing happened for a while. And then I saw
Scabious - you remember Scabious ^ He came out of a' hole
along the hedge - one they hadn’t noticed I could see at
once that he’d smelt this stuff He didn’t know what he was
doing The men didn’t see him for a few moments and then
one of them stuck out his arm to show where he was and the
boy shot him He didn’t lall him — Scabious began to scream
— and one of the men went over and picked Tnm up and hit
him, I really beheve he may not have suffered very much,
because the bad air had turned him silly * but I wish I hadn’t
seen it After that, the man stopped up the hole that Scabious
had come out of

‘By this time the poisoned air must have been spreading
through the runs and burrows underground I can imagine
what it must have been hke -’

— You can t,’ said Bluebell Holly stopped and after a
pause Bluebell went on

^ commotion beginning before I smelt the stuff

m>sclf The does seemed to get it first and some of them
egan trying to get out. But the ones who had litters wouldn’t
ca\c the kittens and they were attacking any rabbit who
came near them They wanted to fight - to protect the
"ittcns, you know. Very soon the runs were crammed with
it. Its c awing and clambering over each other They went
np the runs they were accustomed to use and found them

‘rOR EL-AHRAIRAH TO CRY* 163

blocked Some managed to turn roimd, but they couldn’t
get back because of the rabbits coming up And then the
runs began to be blocked lower down with dead rabbits and
the live rabbits tore them to pieces

‘ I shall never know how I got away with what I did It
was a chance in a thousand I was m a burrow near one of
the holes that the men were using They made a lot of noise
putting the bramble tlung in and I’ve got an idea it wasn’t
working propcily As soon as I picked up the smell of the
stuff I jumped out of the burrow, but I was still fairly clear-
headed I came up the run just as the men were talang the
bramble out again They were all looking at it and tallong
and they didn’t see me I turned round, actually m the
mouth of the hole, and went down agam

‘Do you remember the Slack Run^ I suppose hardly a
rabbit went down there m our lifetime - it was so very deep
and It didn’t lead anywhere in particular No one knows
even who made it Frith must have guided me, for I went
straight down into the Slack Run and began creeping along
it I was actually digging at times It was all loose earth and
fallen stones There were all sorts of forgotten shafts and
drops that led in from above, and down those were coming
the most terrible sounds - cnes for help, kittens squeahng for
their mothers, Owsla trying to give orders, rabbits cursing
and fighting each other Once a rabbit came tumbling down
one of the shafts and his claws just scratched me, like a horse-
chestnut burr falling in autumn It was Celandine and he
was dead I had to tear at him before I could get over him -
the place was so low and narrow - and then I went on I
could smell the bad air, but I was so deep down that I must
have been beyond the worst of it

Suddenly I found there was another rabbit with me He
was the only one I met in the whole length of the Slack Run
It was Pimpernel and I could tell at once that he was in a
, bad way He was spluttering and gasping, but he was able
going He asked if I was all right, but all I said was.
Where do we get out^” “I can show you that,” he said,
ff you can help me along ” So I followed hun and every

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

164

time he stopped -• he kept forgetting wheie we were - I
shoved him hard. I even bit him once. I was terrified that
he was going to die and block the run At last we began to
come up and I could smell fresh air. We found we’d got into
one of those runs that led out into the wood.’

‘The men had done their work badly (resumed Holly)*
Either they didn’t know about the wood holes or they
couldn’t be bothered to come and block them. Almost every
rabbit that came up in the field was shot, but I saw two get
away One was Nose-in-the-Air, but I don’t remember who
the other was The noise was very frightening and I would
have run myself, but I kept waiting to see whether the
Threarah would come. After a while I began to realize that
there ■were a few other rabbits in the wood Pme-needles was
there, I remember, and Butterbur and Ash. I got hold of all
I could and told them to sit tight under cover.

‘After a long tune the men finished. They took the bramble
tlungs out of the holes and the boy put the bodies on a
stick

Holly stopped and pressed his nose under Bigwig’s flank*
‘Well, never mind about that bit,’ said Hazel in a steady
voice ‘TeU us how you came away.’

‘Before that happened (said Holly), a great hrududu
came mto the field from the lane It wasn’t the one the men
came in It was very noisy and it was yellow — as yellow as
charlock* and in front there was a great silver, shining thing
that it held in its huge front paws. I don’t know how to
describe it to you It looked like Inle, but it was broad and
bright.^ And this thing - how can I tell you ^ - it tore
the held to bits It destroyed the field.’

He stopped again

h ^^^d Silver, ‘we all know you’ve seen thmgs

a e^ond telling But surely that’s not quite what you

‘Upon my life (said Holly, trembhng), it buried itself in
pushed great masses of earth in front of it
^ destroyed. The whole place became like a
c-Vvade m winter and you could no longer tell where

‘for el-ahrairah to cry’ 165

any part of the field had been, between the wood and the
brook Earth and roots and grass and bushes it pushed be-
fore it and - and other things as well, from underground

^After a long time I went back through the wood I’d
forgotten any idea of collecting other rabbits, but there were
three who jomed me all the same - Bluebell here and
Pimpernel and young Toadflax Toadflax was the only
member of the Owsla I’d seen and I asked lum about the
Threarah, but he couldn’t talk any kind of sense I never
found out what happened to the Threarah I hope he died
quickly

‘Pimpernel was light-headed - chattering nonsense - and
Bluebell and I weren’t much better For some reason all I
could think of was Bigwig I remembered how I’d gone to
arrest him — to kill him, really - and I felt I had to find him
and tell him I’d been wrong and this idea was all the sense
I had left The four of us went wandering away and we
must have gone almost in a half- circle, because after a long
time we came to the brook, below what had been our
field We followed it down into a big wood, and that mght,
while we were still in the wood. Toadflax died He was
clear-headed for a short time before and I remember some-
thmg he said Bluebell had been saying that he knew the
men hated us for raiding their crops and gardens and Toad-
flax answered, “That wasn’t why they destroyed the
warren It was just because we were in their way They
killed us to smt themselves ” Soon after that he went to sleep
and a little later, when we were alarmed by some noise or
other, we tried to wake him and realized he was dead

‘We left him lying where he was and went on until we
reached the river I needn’t describe it because I know you
were all there It was morning by this time We thought you
i^ght be somewhere near and we began to go along the
bank, upstream, looking for you It wasn’t long before we
found the place where you must have crossed There were
tracks - a great many - m the sand under a steep bank, and
hraka about three days old The tracks didn’t go upstream
or downstream so I knew you must have gone over I s^vam

1 66

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

across and found inoi e tracks on the other side • so then the

others came over too The river was high. I suppose you

must have had it easier, before all the ram

‘I didn’t hke the fields on the other side of the river.

There was a man with a gun who kept walking everywhere.

I took the other two on, across a road, and soon we came to

a bad place — all heather and soft, black earth We had a

ard time there, but again I came upon hraka about three

days old and no sign of holes or rabbits, so I thought there

was a chance that they were yours. Bluebell was all right,

ut Pimpernel was feverish and I was afraid he was going to
die too.

hen we had a bit of luck - or so we thought at the time,
inat night we fell m with a hlessi on the edge of the heather
^ u rabbit with his nose all scratched and scarred

an e told us that there was a warren not far off and
s owe us which way to go. We came to woods and fields
were so much exhausted that we couldn’t
T >1^ warren We crept into a ditch and

T ^ ^ ^ ^ heart to tell one of the others to keep awake,

ted to keep awake myself, but I couldn’t ’
c this^’ asked Hazel.

(said Holly), early m the
Frith f r woke it was still some time before m-

rabbu ^ I could smell was

Bluebdl anH T * at once that something was wrong I woke
realized that tt^ S^mg to wake Pimpernel when I

T W ^ rabbits all round uS.

It was like - well, ^

Fiver.

name’s Cowshm TOo

herc'J*” I dirfn’m i what are you doing

they had anv rlc. ^ couldn’t see that

had a bad timp wish us harm, so I told him that we’d
looking for somp ^ ^eng way and that we were

H^g^vig As soon as I Lidt^ warren - Hazel, Fiver and

those names this rabbit turned to

‘rOR EL-AHRAIRAH TO CRY* 167

the others and cried, knew it* Tear them to pieces*’’
And they all set on ns One of them got me by the ear and
npped It up before Bluebell could pull him off We were
fighting tlie lot of them I was so much taken by surprise that
I couldn’t do a great deal at first But the funny thing was
that although they were so big and yelling for our blood,
they couldn’t fight at all they obviously didn’t know the
first thing about fighting Bluebell knocked down a couple
twice his size and although my ear was pouring with blood
I was never really in danger All the same they were too
many for us, and we had to lun Bluebell and I had just got
clear of tlie ditch when we realized that Pimpernel was still
there He was ill, as I told you, and he didn’t wake m time
So after all he’d lieen through, poor Pimpernel was killed by
rabbits What do you think of that ^ ’

‘I think It was a damned shame,’ said Strawberry, before
anyone else could speak

‘We were running down the fields, beside a little stream
(Holly went on) Some of these rabbits were still chasing us
and suddenly I thought ‘'Well, I’ll have one of them any-
'way ” I didn’t care for the idea of doing nothing more than
just run away to save our skins ~ not after Pimpernel I saw
that this Cowslip was ahead of the others and out on his own,
so I let him catch me up and then I suddenly turned and
went for him I had him down and I was just going to np
him up when he squealed out, “ I can tell you where your
friends have gone ” “ Hurry up, then,” I said, with my back
iegs braced in his stomach "Tliey’ve gone to the hills,” he
panted "The high hills you can see away over there They
went yesterday mormng ” I pretended not to beheve him
and acted as though I was going to kill him But he didn’t
alter his story, so I scratched him and let him go and away
we came It was clear weather and we could see the hills
plainly enough

‘After that we had the worst time of all If it hadn’t been
for Bluebell’s jokes and chatter we’d have stopped runmng
for certain ’

‘Hraka one end, jokes the other,’ said Bluebell 'I used to

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

roll a joke along the ground and we both followed it. That
was how we kept going ’

I can t really tell you much about the rest of it (said
Holly). My ear was terribly painful and all the time I kept
thinking that Pimpernel’s death was my fault. If I hadn’t
gone to sleep he wouldn’t have died Once we tried to sleep
agam, but my dreams were more than I could bear. I was
out o^ my mindj really, I had only this one idea — to find
igwig and tell him that he’d been ricrhf tn lea ire thi

■ me mus, just at mghttaU ot me next

ay. Vye were past caring - we came over the flat, open land
a ow -time. I don’t know what I’d been expecting. You
Jmow how you let yourself think that everything wiU be all

tV ^ certain place or do a certain

ng ut when you get there you find it’s not that simple.

^ ^ foolish notion that Bigwig

mnitc meet us We found the hills were enor-

rnvpr than anything we’d ever seen No woods, no

seempfTf setting in. And then everything

seemed to go to nieces T saw r_r _ ^nd

flax anr^ P ^ I saw the Threarah and Toad-

Biffwip- ^ them I was calling

sure he wasr.’i-^uf ^ really expect him to hear because I was
h“dle ^ ““ remember commg out from t

cU would com^S maJ hoping that the

mv senses ^jke an end of me. But when I came tc

must be dead, burthen iT®' ^

real or not Well x f ^ to wonder whether he was

you so rjch B ’/f ? ^ P^ty I frightened

Lrdly a htn™ Rabbit; there’s

lum than we have ’ closer to

to Bluebell anT me imagine what it means

Wends Itwasn’tlwhotned^f’^^'^^''^ underground, among
another rabbit, long lo^ ^ f Bigwig - that was

WATERSIIIP DOWN

appetites. Would that the dead were not dead! But there is

^ be eaten, pellets that must be chcvvcd, hrai^^

must be passed, holes that must be dug, sleep that mibt

Vot 7 brings not one man to shore with hiin

iTii* 1 ^ ^ ^^P^ sound beside Calypso and when he
thinks only of Penelope.

fA before Holly had finished his stow, Hazel had falhn
ab1(^f 'mounded car. He had not previously been

thaf ^ good look at It, but now that he did, he realized

cau^pf^^L^ fatigue had probably not been the pnncipal
than Pi iii° ^ ^ collapse. He was badly wounded - worse
was Jn lost a lot of blood. His ear

felt annp and there was any amount of dirt in it Hazel

to silflaxJ^ J^th Dandelion As several of the rabbits began

he ited st *’’■= *1'““

about to ]pai u fobberry to wait. Silver, who had been

‘Dandelio ^ other run, returned and joined them.

up all riP-ht ^ other two seem to have cheered yon

‘Well, you see ^^^^orous.’ -

beside Holly began Bluebell, who had remained

‘I wasn^ffowi^^*^^ ‘You seem to think

that I wanted to^cIekn?W^^^^; only going to say

to be touched.’ oaptam s ear, but it’s too tender

neglect it%utdcf^Vou^^‘^?r?"’ afraid I made them

better now.’ ^ ^ best. Hazel. I’m feeling much

black and the task^n^^fl^ hi^elf. The blood had caked
jigged wounds bled ao-a* ^ter a while the long,

Silver took over. Hollv ^ ^,they slowly became clean,
growled and scuffled am? it as well as he could,

occupy his attention. ^ about for something to

You^s tMs ideag^u had - about the

cut on us now?’ ^ later How about trying it

THE TRIAL OF EL-AHRAIRAH 171

‘Well/ said Hazel, ‘the idea is simply that m our situa-
tion, \ve can’t afford to v^aste an^’thing that might do us
good We’re m a strange place we don’t know much about
and we need friends Now ehl can t do us good, obviously,
but there are many creatures that aren’t ehl - birds, mice,
yoml and so on Rabbits don’t usually have much to do with
them, but their enemies are our enemies for the most part
I think we ought to do all we can to make these creatures
friendly It might turn out to be well worth the trouble ’

‘I can’t say I fancy the idea myself,’ said Silver, ^vipmg
HoUy’ s blood out of ins nose ‘ These small animals are more
to be despised than rehed upon, I reckon W^at good can
they do us^ They can’t dig for us, they can’t get food for us,
they can’t fight for us They’d say they were friendly, no
doubt, as long as we were helpmg them, but that’s where it
would stop I heard that mouse tomght - “You want ’im, ’e
come ” You bet he wll, as long as there’s any grub or
warmth gomg, but surely ^ve’re not gomg to have the warren
over-nm with mice and - and stag-beetles, are we”^’

‘No, I didn’t mean qmte that,’ said Hazel ‘I’m not
suggestmg we should go about lookmg for field-mice and
invitmg them to jom us They wouldn’t thank us for that,
an^^vay But that mouse tomght - we saved his life
‘ Tou saved his life,’ said Blackberry
‘Well, his life was saved He’ll remember that ’

‘But how s it gomg to help us^’ asked Bluebell
‘To start ^vith, he can tell us what he knows about the
place

‘^Vhat mice know Not w^hat rabbits need to know ’
‘Well, I admit a mouse might or might not come in
handy,’ said Hazel ‘But I’m sure a bird w^ould, if we could
only do enough for it We can t flv, but some of tlicm know
the coimtry for a long w^y round They know a lot about the
eather, too All I m saying is this If anyone finds an animal
Or bird, that isn’t an enem\, in need of help, for goodness’
sake don’t miss the opportumty Tliat would be like leaving
carrots to rot m the ground ’

‘^\’hat do you think'^’ said Sihcr to Blacl berry

172 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

* I think it’s a good idea, but real opportunities of the kind
Hazel has in mind aien’t likely to come very often/

‘ I thinli that’s about right/ said Holly, wincing as Silver
resumed licking ‘ The idea’s all right as far as it goes, but it
won’t come to a great deal in practice/

‘ I’m ready to give it a try,’ said Silver. ‘ I reckon it’ll be
worth it, just to see Bigwig telling bed-tune stories to a mole

‘El-ahrairah did it once,’ said Bluebell, '’and it worked.
Do you remember ? ’

‘No,’ said Hazel, ‘I don’t know that story. Let’s have
it.’

‘Let’s silfiay first,’ said Holly, ‘This ear’s had all I can
stand for the time being ’

‘Well, at least it’s clean now,’ said Hazel. ‘But I’m afraid
it’ll never be as good as the other, you know. You’ll have a
ragged ear.’

‘Never mind,’ said HoUy. ‘I’m still one of the lucky
ones ’

The full moon, well risen in a cloudless eastern sky?
covered the high solitude with its light. We are not conscious
of daylight as that which displaces darkness Daylight, even
when the sun is clear of clouds, seems to us simply the natural
condition of the earth and air When we think of the downSj
we think of the downs m daylight, as we think of a rabbit
■With Its fur on Stubbs may have en'visaged the skeleton m"
side the horse, but most of us do not: and we do not usually

envisage the downs without daylight, even though the hgh
is not a part of the down itself as the hide is part of the hors*
itself We take daylight for granted. But moonlight is anothe:
matter It is inconstant The fuU moon wanes and return
again Clouds may obscure it to an extent to which the
cann^ obscure daylight Water is necessary to us^ but <
waterfall is not Where it is to be found it is something extra
a beautiful ornament We need dayhght and to that exten
a^^an, but moonlight we do not need. When 1
necessity. It transforms It falls upon th
otbri* ^ gruss, separating one long blade from an

3 rmng a drift of brown, frosted leaves from a singl

174 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

‘You’re a clever chap, Hazel,’ said Holly at last. ‘You and
your mouse Mind you, we’d have found the place ouiseKe*
sooner or later, but not as soon as this.’

Hazel could have pressed his chm-glands for satisfaction,
but he replied merely, ‘We shan’t need to go douna the Inn
so much after all’ Then he added, ‘But Holly, you smell of
blood, you know. It may be dangerous, even here. Let s go
back to the wood. It’s such a beautiful night that we can sit
near the holes to chew pellets and Bluebell can tell us Ins
story ’

They found Stiawberry and Buckthorn on the bank, and
when eveiyone was comfortably chewing, with cars laid flat,
Bluebell began.

!

Dandelion was telling me last night about Cowslip s
warren and how he told the story of the King’s Lettuce-
That s what put me in mind of this tale, even before Haze
explained his idea I used to hear it from my grandfathet
and he always said that it happened after El-alirairah had
got his people out of the marshes of Kelfazin. They went to
^e meadows of Fenlo and there they dug their holes But
nnee Rainbow had his eye on El-ahrairah, and he was
determined to see that he didn’t get up to any more of hs

Now one evemng, when El-ahrairah and Rabscutti*
were sitting on a sunny bank. Prince Rainbow cani<
rough the meadows and with him was a rabbit that Bl
niairah had never seen before.

'^^ening, El-ahrairah,” said Princes Rainbow
T tT.u ^ improvement on the marshes of Kelfazm

Have digging holes along the bank

^ for you ? ”

RabJuiC El-ahrairah “This hole here belongs t(
as we saw it hked the look of this bank as sooi

afraid ^md Prince Rainbow “But I an
o tell you, El-ahrairah, that I have stric

THE TRIAL OT EL-AHRAIRAH 175

orders from Lord Fnth himself not to allow you to share a
hole with Rabscuttle

‘ “Not share a hole wth Rabscuttle^” said El-ahrairah
ever not^”

‘ “ El-ahrairah,” said Prmce Rainbow, “ tve Lnoiv you and
your tncks and Rabscuttle is nearly as slippery as you are
Both of you m one hole would be altogether too much of a
, good thing You would be stealing the clouds out of the sky
before the moon had changed ti\ace No - Rabscuttle must
go and look after the holes at the other end of the warren
Let me mtroduce you This is Hufsa I want you to be his
friend and look after him ^

‘“Where does he come from^” asked El-ahrairali “I
certainly haven’t seen him before ”

‘ “He comes from another country,” said Prmce Ram-
bow, “but he is no different from any other rabbit I hope
you \vill help bim to settle down here And while he is
getting to know the place, I m sure you w^ill be glad to let
him share your hole ”

‘Ehahrairah and Rabscuttle felt desperately anno)ed
that they were not to be allowed to live together m their
hole But It was one of El-ahrairah’s rules nc\ er to let anyone
see w^hen he Wcis angry and besides, he felt sorr^’’ for Hufsa
because he supposed tliat he was feeling lonely and awkward,
being far away from lus own people So he \sclcomed
him and promised to help him settle down Hufsa was
perfectly friendly and seemed anxious to please c\ cry one,
^nd Rabscuttle mo\ed down to the other end of the
'varren

After a time, how^cver, El-ahrairah began to find that
something was alww's going wrong witli iiis plans One
^Jght, m the spring, w hen he had taken some of his people
a cornfield to cal the green shoots, tlic) found a man with
^ gun w^alkmg about m the moonlight and w ere lu ckv to get
^W'ly without trouble *\nothcr time, after Lhalimrah had
l^connoitrtd the w a\ to a cabbage garden and scratched a
c under tlic fence, he am\ cd tlic next morning to find it
locked With Wire, and he beg^n to suspect tint his plans

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

were leaking out to people who wcic not intended to learn
them.

One day he determined to set a trap for Hiifsa, to
whether it was he who was at the bottom of tlic trouble.
He showed him a path acioss the fields and told him that it
e to a lonely barn full of swedes and turnips : and he went
on to say that he and Rabscuttle meant to go there the next
niorrung. n fact El-ahrairah had no such plans and took
care not to say anything about the path or the bam to any-

^ r ^ when he went cautiously along the

path he found a wire set in the grass.

El-ahrairah really angry, for any of his people

rf 5 Of COUrSC hc did HOt

Hufsa was setting wires himself, or even that he

HijRa ^ going to be set. But evidently

setHno-i,^^ in touch with somebody who did not stick at
Prinrf El-ahrairah decided that probably

far^r^r nbow was passing on Hufsa’s information to a
whathJ^.T.^ gamekeeper and not bothering himself about
Slse Tw ^ His rabbits’ lives were in danger

cSll? °f ^11 ae lettuces and

to ““Stttg. After this, El-ahrairah tried not

liiin from hr-a'^^ ® ^t difficult to prevent

^vtry good“|e^"g^ know, rabbits

good at kepmno- secrets from other animals, but no

make for secrecv**^W^'* other. Warren life doesn’t

that if he did Pnnee p°nsidered kilhng Hufsa. But he knew
end in mt"\Sib ! they would

awayi^dThmU r Knmbow wou

the next evening wh^ thought. He was still thinking

to the warren ^ I'lnce Rainbow paid one of his visits

« '^You.

ahrairah,” saifr^ mformed character these days, El

Rninbow “If you are not cLrful

THE TRIAL OF EL-AHRAIRAH

177

people Will begin to trust you Since I was passing by, I
thought I would just stop to thank you for your kindness
in looking after Hufsa He seems quite at home with
you ”

‘“Yes, he does, doesn’t he^” said El-ahrairah “We
grow in beauty side by side, we fill one hole with glee But
I always say to my people, ‘Put not your trust m princes,
nor in any ”

‘ “Well, El-alirairah,” said Prince Rainbow, interrupting
him, am sure I can trust jow And to prove it, I have
decided that I will grow a nice crop of carrots in the field
belund the hill It is an excellent bit of ground and I am sure
they will do well Especially as no one would dream of
stealing them In fact, you can come and watch me plant
them, if you like ”

‘ “I will,” said El-ahrairah “That will be delightful ”

‘ El-ahrairah, Rabscuttle, Hufsa and several other rabbits
accompanied Prince Rainbow to the field behind the hill,
and they helped him to sow it with long rows of carrot seed
It was a hght, dry sort of soil - just the thing for carrots —
and the whole business infuriated El-ahrairah, because he
was certain that Prince Rainbow was doing it to tease him
and to show that he felt sure that he had chpped his claws
at last

‘ “That will do splendidly,” said Prince Rainbow when
they had finished “ Of course, I know that no one would
dream of stealmg my carrots But if they did - if they did
steal them, El-ahrairah - I should be very angry indeed If
King Darzm stole them, for instance, I feel sure that Lord
Frith would take away his kingdom and give it to someone
else ’’

‘El-ahrairah knew that Prince Rainbow meant that if he
caught him stealmg the carrots he would either kill him or
else banish him and put some other rabbit over his people
and the thought that the other rabbit would probably be
Hufsa made him grind his teeth But he said, ‘‘ Of course, of
course Very right and proper ” And Prince Rainbow went
away

^7^ ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

One night, in the second moon after tlie planting, El*
aliiairah and Rabscuttlc went to look at the cairols. No one
had thinned them out and the tops weie tiiick and green.
El-ahrairah judged that most of tlic loots would be a hhle
thinner than a foic-paw. And it was wliilc he was looking at
mem in the moonlight that his plan came to him. He hatl
ecome so cautious about Hufsa - and indeed no one ever
knew wdierc Hufsa would be next - that on the way back he
^n Rabscuttle made for a hole in a lonely bank and went
down it to tallc together. And there El-ahrairah promised
a scuttle not only that he would steal Prince Rainbows

between them they would see the back
ot Wufsa into the bargain They came out of the hole and
abscuttle went to the farm to steal sorhe seed corn. Eh

spent the rest of the night gathering slugs; and a
nasty business it was.

El-ahrairah went out earh^ and after a
hedge'^ ^ °nnd Yona the hedgehog pottering along the

slugs would you like a whole lot of nice, fat

not 'El-ahrairah,” said Yona, “but they’re

hog ” ^ ound. You’d know that if you were a hedge-

you cll baift? El-ahrairah, “and

singT” ^ ^^d ask no questions. Can yon

' “Good hedgehog can sing ”

to try if you want “Excellent. But you will have

box, I see that tb slogs. Ah ! There is an old, empty

better. Now you
Meanwhile in

Hawock the nheatjnrti- ^°°d, Rabscuttle was talking to
Hawock,” he sairl

‘ “ I never go ne, ” ’ ”

scuttle.” said Hawocr-ri^T.^.^ ““ 'b

f dislike it very much. But I sup-

THE TRIAL OF EL-AHRAIRAH 179

pose if I had to, I could make shift to keep afloat foi a
; little while ”

* “Splendid,’’ said Rabscuttle “Now attend I have a
"whole lot of corn - and you know how scarce it is at this time
of year - and you can have it all, if only you will do a little
swimming in the pond on the edge of the wood Just let me
explain as we go down there ” And off they went through
the wood

'Fu Inle, El-ahrairah strolled into lus hole and found
^ Hufsa chewing pellets “Ah, Hufsa, you’re here,” he said
“That’s fine I can’t trust anyone else, but you’ll come with
me, won’t you ^ Just you and I - no one else must know ”

‘“Why, what’s to be done, El-ahrairah^” asked
Hufsa

‘ “ I’ve been looking at those carrots of Prince Rambow’s,”

' replied Ehahrairah “I can’t stand it any longer They’re
^ the best I’ve ever seen I’m determined to steal them — or
most of them, anyway Of course, if I took a lot of rabbits on
an expedition of this kmd we’d soon be in trouble Things
would leak out and Prince Rainbow would be sure to get to
hear But if you and I go alone, no one will ever know who
did it ”

‘“I’ll come,” said Hufsa “Let’s go tomorrow night”
For he thought that that would give him time to tell Prince
Rainbow

‘ “No,” said El-ahrairah, “I’m going now At once ”

‘He wondered whether Hufsa would try to turn him
against this idea, but when he looked at him he could see
that Hufsa was thinking that this would be the end of El-
ahrairah and that he himself would be made king of the
rabbits

‘They set out togethei m the moonhght

‘They had gone a good way along the hedge ^vhen they
came upon an old box lying m the ditch Sitting on top of
the box was Yona the hedgehog His prickles were stuck all
over With dog-rose petals and he was making an extra-
ordinary squeakmg, grunting noise and waving lus black
paws They stopped and looked at him

l8o ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

‘ Whatever are you doing, Yona?” asked

astonishment. j t, oc

‘ ‘ Singing to the moon,” answered Yona “Ah hedge 0^^
have to sing to the moon to make the slugs come Sure y
know that?

O Slug-a-Moon, O Slug-a-Moon,

O grant thy faitliful hedgehog’s boon!”

‘ “What a frightful noise’” said El-ahrairah and indeed
It was “Let’s get on quickly before he brings all the e
round us,” And on they went. - , ^

‘After a time they drew near the pond on the edge o ^
wood. As they approached it they heard a squawking ^
splashing and then they saw Hawock the pheasant scut e
ing about in the water, with his long tail featheis floating
out behind him.

‘“Whatever has happened^” said Hufsa “Hawoc'j
have you been shot ^ ”

* “No, no,” replied Hawock “I always go swimming 1^
the full moon It makes my tail grow longer and besides, ni;
head wouldn’t stay red, white and green without swimming
But you must know that, Hufsa, surely? Everyone know
that ”

‘ “The truth is, he doesn’t like other animals to catch hitt’
at it,” whispered El-ahrairah “Let’s go on ” • k

A little farther on they came to an old well by a big
tree The farmer had filled it up long ago, but the mou
looked very deep and black in the moonlight

‘ “Let’s have a rest,” said El-ahrairah, “just for a shof
time ”

r

As he spoke, a most curious-looking creature came
the grass It looked something bke a rabbit, but even m tke
moonlight they could see that it had a red tail and long
green ears. In its mouth it was carrying the end of one of th^
white sticks that men burn It was Rabscuttle, but not even
Hufsa could recognize him He had found some sheep-diP
pow er at the farm and sat in it to make his tail red

THE TRIAL OF EL-AHRAIRAH

l8l

His ears were festooned with trails of bryony and the white
stick was making Inm feel ill

‘ “ Frith preserve us ^ ’’ said El-alirairah “What can it be ^
Let’s only hope it isn’t one of the Thousand* ” He leapt up,
ready to run “Who are you^” he asked, trembhng
‘Rabscuttle spat out the white stick
* “So*” he said commandingly “So you have seen me,
El-ahrairah* Many rabbits hve out their hves and die, but
few see me Few or none * I am one of the rabbit messengers
of Lord Fnth, who go about the earth secretly by day and
return mghtly to his golden palace * He is even now awaiting
me on the other side of the world and I must go to him
swiftly, through the heart of the earth* Farewell, El-
ahrairah* ”

‘The strange rabbit leapt over the edge of the well and
disappeared into the darkness below

“We have seen what we should not*” said El-alirairah
m an awe-stncken voice “ How dreadful is this place * Let
tis go quickly* ”

They hurried on and presently they came to Prince
Rainbow’s field of carrots How many they stole I cannot
say, but of course, as you know, El-alirairah is a great prince
and no doubt he used powers unknown to you and me But
my grandfather always said that before morning the field
was stripped bare The carrots were hidden down a deep
^le in the bank beside the wood and El-alirairah and
Hufsa made their way home El-ahrairah collected two or
three followers and stayed underground with them all
^ay> but Hufsa went out in the afternoon Without saying
where he was going

evening, as El-ahrairah and his people began to
silhay under a fine red sky, Pnnce Rainbow came over the
helds Behind him were two great, black dogs
c he said, “you are under arrest ”

« for*^” asked El-ahrairah

know very well what for,” said Prince Rainbow
Let me have no more of your tricks and insolence, EI-
ahrairah Where are the carrots^”

i 82

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

* “If I am under aircst/’ said El-ahrairah, “may 1
told what for ^ It is not fair to tell me I am under arrest an
then to ask me questions/^

‘“Come, come, El-ahrairah,” said Prince Rainbow,
“you are meiely wasting time. Tell me where the carrots
are and I will only send you to the great North and not
kill you ” .

‘“Prince Rainbow,” said El-ahrairah, “for the third
time, may I know for what I am under aiiest?”

‘ “Very well,” said Prince Rainbow, “if this is the W2.y
you want to die, El-ahrairah, you shall have the full process
of law. You are under arrest for stealing my carrots Are yon
seriously asking for a trial I warn you that I have direct
evidence and it will go ill with you ”

‘By this time all El-ahrairah’s people were crowding
round, as near as they dared for the dogs Only Rabs cuttle
was nowhere to be seen. He had spent the whole day moving
the carrots to another, secret hole and he was now hiding,
because he could not get his tail white again.

‘ “Yes, I would like a trial,” said El-ahrairah, “and I
would like to be judged by a jury of animals For it is n<^
right, Prince Rainbow, that you should both accuse me and
be the judge as well.”

' ^'A jury of animals you shall have,” said Prince Raim
bow A jury of elil, El-ahrairah For a jury of rabbits would
refuse to convict you, in spite of the evidence ”

To everyone’s surprise El-ahrairah immediately rephed
that he would be content with a jury of elil. and Prince
Rainbow said that he would bring them that night. El“
alirairah was sent down his hole and the dogs were put on
guard outside. None of his people was allowed to see hnn,
although many tried

T?i down the hedges and copses the news spread that

El-ahrairah was on trial for his life and that Prince Rainbow
was going to bring him before a jury of ehl Animals came
ermv ing in. Fu Inle, Prince Rainbow returned with the eld

PI ^ two foxes, two stoats, an owl and a cat.

i-i-ahraxrah was brought up and placed between the dogs.

THE TRIAL OF EL-AHRAIRAH 183

The ehl sat stanng at him and their eyes ghttered m the
moon They hcked their bps and the dogs muttered that
they had been promised the task of carrying out the sentence
There were a great many ammals - rabbits and others - and
every one of them felt sure that this time it was all up with
El-ahrairah

‘ “Now,” said Prince Rainbow, “let us begin It will not
take long Where is Hufsa^”

‘Then Hufsa came out, bowing and bobbing his head,
and he told the ehl that El-ahrairah had come the night
before, when he was quietly chewing pellets, and terrified
him into going with him to steal Prince Rainbow’s carrots
He had wanted to refuse but he had been too much
frightened The carrots were hidden in a hole that he could
show them He had been forced to do what he did, but the
next day he had gone as quickly as possible to tell Pnnce
Rainbow, whose loyal servant he was

‘ “We will recover the carrots later,” said Prince Rain-
bow “Now, El-ahrairah, have you any evidence to call or
anything to say^ Make haste ”

‘ “I would like to ask the witness some questions,” said
El-ahrairah, and the ehl agreed that this was only fair
‘ “Now, Hufsa,” said El-ahrairah, “can we hear a httle
more about this journey that you and I are supposed to Jiave
made*? For really I can remember nothing about it at all
You say we went out of the hole and set off in the night
What happened then?”

‘ “Why, Ekahrairah,” said Hufsa, “you can’t possibly
have forgotten We came along the ditch, and don’t you
remember that we saw a hedgehog sitting on a box smgmg
a song to the moon?”

^ hedgehog doing what'^^^ said one of the badgers
Singing a song to the moon,” said Hufsa eagerly
They do that, you know, to make the slugs come He had
rose petals stuck all over him and he was waving his paws
and

‘“Now steady, steady,” said El-ahrairah kindly, “I
wouldn’t hke you to say anything you don’t mean Poor

^^4 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

feiloWj he added to the jury, ‘‘ he really believes these things
know. He doesn’t mean any harm, but
but he shouted Hufsa ‘‘He was singing ‘O Slug-
O Slug-a-moon! O grant

t?i hedgehog sang is not evidence/’ said

XaTu R-ealiy, one is inclmed to wonder what is.

c , a right. We saw a hedgehog covered with roses,
^ What happened then?”
e j said Hufsa, “then we went on and came to the
^ pheasant ”

if of foxes. “I wish I’d seen

It. Wnat was it doing?”

said' -Hufjr ^nd round in the water

eh?” said the fox

faih Hufsa “They all do that, to make their

tails ^^ow longer Fm surprised you don’t kiow.”
^^cTomakea;Aa^P” said the fox

"He

El-ah^!t,If stuff for a very short time,” said
p '^kes a bit of gettmg used to.

luonths ^ kve wdth it for the last t^vo

standing a;?!^ an day out IVe been as kmd and under-
‘A sdenrp -of ^PP^^ently just to my own harm ”

patfence turn5f; 4h an lir of fatherly

‘ ^ ^ ^ke witness

vcrydeverlv^h^!^^^'f^^’ Hufsa, “you’re pretending

gotten what haonp won’t be able to say you’ve fo^

a red tail and ^ ^^"dfymg rabbit, mth

white stick m hi. ^ ?’ of the grass He had a

dov.^ a Jeat hSe If

middle of the earth + ke was going through the

■Tte lime not * fS ‘he Sther side ”

ing at Hufsa and .!,»i said a word They were star-

‘ "They’re aU mal'”® heads.

> you know,” whispered one of the

THE TRIAL OF EL-AHRAIRAH 185

Stoats, nasty little beasts They’ll say anything when they’re
cornered But this one is the worst IVe ever heard How
much longer have we got to stay here ^ I’m hungry ”

‘Now El-ahrairah had knovm beforehand that while ehl
detest all rabbits, they would dishke most the one who
looked the biggest fool That was why he had agreed to a
jury of ehl A jury of rabbits might have tried to get to the
bottom of Hufsa’s story, but not the ehl, for they hated and
despised the witness and wanted to be off hunting as soon as
they could

‘“So it comes to this,” said El-ahrairah “We saw a
hedgehog covered wath roses, singing a song and then we
saw a perfectly healthy pheasant swimming round and round
the pond and then we saw a rabbit with a red tail, green
ears and a white stick, and he jumped straight down a deep
well Isthatnght^”

‘ ‘‘Yes,” said Hufsa
‘ “And then we stole the carrots^”

‘ “Yes ”

‘ “Were they purple with green spots
‘ “Were what purple with green spots
‘ “The carrots ”

‘ “Well, you know they weren’t, El-ahrairah Tlicy Averc
the ordinary colour They’re down the hole*” shouted
Hufsa desperately, “Down the hole* Go and look*”

‘The court adjourned while Hufsa led Prince Rainbow to
the hole They found no carrots and returned

‘ “ I’ve been underground all day,” said El-ahrairah, “and
I can prove it I ought to have been asleep, but it’s very
difficult when m’icarned friend - a\ ell, never mind I simply
mean tliat obviously I couldn’t have been out moving
carrots or anything else If there ever zterc an> carrots,” he
added “But I’ve nothing more to say ”

‘“Prince Rainbow,” said the cat, “I hate all rabbits
But I don’t sec how wc can possibly say that it’s been proved
that tliat rabbit took your carrots The witness is obviously
cut of his mind - mad as the mist and sno\/ - and the
pn^^oncr will ha\c to be released ” Thev all agreed

i86

c <<■

ON WAaKHJ^niP DOV/N*

‘You had bctur go quicldy/' said Pnncc Jlainbov; to

^I-ahrairah. “Go dov.n your iioh , Fd-ahiairah, before I
hurt you

I will, my lord, said El-nhjaiiah “3hit may I }xg)OU
r'abbit )ou sent among us, hn he troubicsus
with his foohshness?” '

So Ilufsa went away v.nli Pimce Rainbow .and Eh
airaira i s people srcrc left in peace, ,apail fiom indigestion
rougit on by eating too many caiiols Ihit it was a long
ime c QIC Rabscuttlc could get Ins tad white again, so my
giandfather always saidd

23. Kcliaar

The wng trails like a banner in defeat,

No more to use the sky for ever but live ^vitii
lamine and pain a few days

e strong and pam is worse to the stiong
incapacity is worse

The°toti^n^rf redeemer %vill humble that head,

-rae mtrepid readiness, the terrible eyes.

Robinson Jeffers Hurt Hauh

^r^apt^for^it ’ This is not

rabbits’ Drovprb ram witlaout pouring. The

feels londy’I aLlnrf 'T expressed They say! ■ One cloud

^gle cloud often means that appearance of a

However that mav K,» will soon be overcast

tic second opportiut^ to provided a drama-

It was early morn mo- Hazel s idea into practice
silfiay, coming up intn^of^^ rabbits were beginning to
chiUy,Theretasa^ood^^^^^^ The air was still

six wild duck flew ove h ^^dew and no wind Five or

on some far-off destinanr>«^ -7-? a swiftly-moving V, intent

KEIIAAR

187

wards Tlic silence returned ^Vith the melting of the last of
the twiliglit there grew a kind of expectancy and tension, as
tliough It were tJnwang snow^ about to slide from a sloping
roof Then tlic wdiolc down and all below it, caith and air,
gave ^/ay to the sunrise As a bull, with a slight but irres-
istible movement, tosses its head from the grasp of a man
who IS leaning o\cr the stall and idly holding its horn, so the
sun entered the w^orld in smooth, gigantic power Nothing
mterrupted or obscured its coming WiUiout a sound, the
leaves shone and the grass coruscated along the miles of the
cscai-pmcni

Outside the w^ood, Bigwig and SiK cr combed their cars,
sniffed til c air and hopped away, following tlicir own long
shadows to the grass of the gallop As tlicy moved over the
short turf -- nibbling, sitting up and looking round tliem -
they approached a little hollow^ no more than three feet
across Before they reached the edge Bigwig, w^ho w^as ahead
of Silver, cheeked and crouched, staring Although he could
not see into the hollow, he knew that there was some crea-
ture in It - something fairly big Pceiing tlirough the blades
of grass round his head, he could see the curve of a wlute
back Whatever the creature was, it w^as nearly as big as
himself He waited, stock-still, for some little time, but it
did not move

‘What has a white back, Silver^’ whispered Bigwig
Silver considered ‘Acat^’

‘No cats here ’

‘ How do you know ^ ’

At that moment they both heard a low, bieathy hissing
from tlic hollow It lasted for a few moments Then there
Was Silence once more

Bigwig and Silver had a good opimon of themselves
Apart from Holly, they were the only survivors of the
Sandleford Owsla and tliey knew that their comrades looked
tip to them The encounter with the rats in the barn had
been no joke and had proved their worth Bigwig, who was
generous and honest, had never for a moment resented
Hazel’s courage on the night when his own superstitious fear

i88

ON WATERSHIP DOWN
Honevcnm^^^^!?^ of Hm. But the idea of going back to the

be could swalT^^ grass and left it alone was more than
Seein^tW bead and looked at Silver,

white back an ^ strange,

bollow. Silver follow^d!^^''^ sti-aight up to tlie edge of the

big bird near^* creature in the hollow was a bird - a
V » nearly a foot lonp-. t-_ j o

nira like it before t-u T ; — luciu xmu cvci acQix »
bad glimnseri t>, ’ l of its back, which they

shoiiIdersMdneck'rief^ grass was in fact only the
were the wines whiVh . ^ was light grey and so

marics folded ^°"g> black-tipped pn-

brown ~ almost^Ia^?* head was very dark

neck that the birri t~ ^^oh sharp contrast to the white
of hood The one da^-r ff '^'ore wearing a kind

a Webbed foot anri iha.t they could see ended m

hooked sHghtlv dnw ^ powerful, taloned toes. The beak,
sharp. As they stared at the end, was strong and

throat. The bird hk^nrt disclosing a red mouth and

it did not move, savagely and tried to strike, but still

KEHAAR 189

Hazel came to meet tlicm in the grass There was no mis-
taking their wdc eyes and dilated nostrils
asked Hazel

*Wcll, I’m blest if I know, to tell you the truth/ replied
Bigwig ‘There’s a great bird out there, hkc nothing I’ve
ever seen ’

‘How big^ As big as a pheasant^’

‘Not quite so big,’ admitted Bigwig, ‘but bigger than a
wood-pigeon and a lot fiercer ’

‘Is that w^hat cried

‘Yes It startled me all right We w ere actually beside it
But for some reason or other it can’t move ’

‘Dying?’

‘I don’t think so ’

‘I’ll go and have a look at it/ said Hazel
‘It’s savage For goodness’ sake be careful ’

Bigwig and Silver returned with Hazel The three of tliem
squatted outside the bird’s reach as it looked sharply and
desperately from one to the other Hazel spoke in the hedge-
row patois

‘You hurt? You no fly?’

The answer was a harsh gabbhng which they all felt im-
mediately to be exotic Wherever the bird came from, it was
somewhere far away» The accent was strange and guttural,
the speech distorted They could catch only a word here and
there

‘Come keel - kah* kah* - you come keel - yark* - t’lnk
me finish - me no finish - ’urt you dam’ plenty The dark
brown head flickered from side to side Then, unexpectedly,
the bird began to drive its beak into the ground They no-
ticed for the first time that the grass in front of it was torn
and scored with lines For some moments it stabbed here
and there, then gave up, lifted its head and watched them
again

‘I believe it’s starving/ said Hazel ‘We’d better feed it
Bigwig, go and get some worms or something, there’s a
good fellow ’

‘Er - what did you say, Hazel?’

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

190
‘Worms ’

‘Me dig for worms?’

"■ I’ll do it/ said

Hazel ‘You and Silver wait here.’

foments, however, Bigwig followed Hazel
drv crr^ <4 began to join him in scratching at the

had plentiful on the downs and there

been no ram for days After a time Bigwig looked

about beedes? Woodlice? Something like that’’
Hazel carried them back.

‘ Insea? ''''' cautiously.

iap^^cd^I?Thp ^ many seconds and

;if» • ew insects inside. Soon there was a small

OlSffUSt JITtr? J 1 ^ UUL OilC, OVCI CaJUi*-

bii^ he mutt^!? "^^ben Hazel praisec

rabbit’s done?r*^ something about ‘the Grst time an")
long aLr blackbirds’. At last

feeding and locked at Hazd”'^"

small timefdir^? Plenty light Stay

bomba” come’Sd”

‘?bd ittodd,’"’^'" ^'“*7-’ .

at die ti'-o-inch looking with admiration

Vv c no %\ ant you Unkh

fm!’ h, \Vc help \ ’ said Hazel ‘You stay here you

‘Pncofri’ '°^^aybe’ ^

*Comc on ' e-ajd IT

Hebesan fibers ‘Let it

mu; the Ic-irch ofTfor a bit » ^\ood, ‘Let it try keep'

KEHAAR 191

^Wliat’s die idea, IlazcP’ said Silvci ‘Tliat^s a savage
brute You can t make a fnend out of that *

^You may be ngbt,’ said Hazel ‘But uhat’s the good of a
blue-tit or a robin to us^ They don’t fly any distance We
need a big bird ’

‘But why do )ou want a bird so particularly^’

‘I’ll explain later,’ said Hazel ‘I’d like Blackberry and
Fiver to hear as well But let’s go underground now If you
don’t want to chew" pellets, I do ’

Dunng the afternoon Hazel organized more work on the
warren Tlic Honeycomb w^as as good as finished - though
rabbits arc not methodical and arc never really certain
when anything is finished - and the surrounding burrows
^nd runs w"cre taking shape Quite early in tlie evening,
however, he made his w"ay once more to tlie hollow The
bird was still there It looked weaker and less alert, but
snapped feebly as Hazel came up

‘Still hcre^’ said Hazel ‘You fight hawk^’

‘No fight,’ answered the bird ‘No fight, but vatch, vatch,
^vays vatch Ees no good ’

‘Hungry^’

The bird made no reply

‘Listen,’ said Hazel ‘Rabbits not cat birds Rabbits eat
grass We help you *

‘Vat for ’elp me^’

‘Never mind We make you safe Big hole Food too ®
The bird considered ‘Legs fine Ving no good ’E bad ’
‘Well, walk then ’

‘You ’urt me, I ’urt you like dam’ ’

Hazel turned aw"ay The bird spoke again
‘Ees long vay^’

‘No, not far ’

* Come den ’

It got up with a good deal of difficulty, staggering on its
strong, blood-red legs Then it opened its wings high above
Its body and Hazel jumped back, startled by the great,
archmg span But at once it closed them again, gnmacing
With pain

^92 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

‘Vingnogood. I come.*

It followed Hazel docilely enough across the grass, but he
was careful to keep out of its reach. Their arrival outside
the wood caused something of a sensation, which Hazel cut
short with a peremptory sharpness quite unhke his usual
manner.

‘ Come on, get busy,’ he said to Dandehon and Buckthorn
This bird’s hurt and we’re going to shelter it until it’s
better. Ask Bigwig to show you how to get it some food It
eats worms and insects. Try grasshoppers, spiders — any-
thing. Hawkbitl Acorn' Yes, and you too. Fiver — come out
of that rapt trance, or whatever you’re in. We need an open,
wide hole, broader than it’s deep, with a flat floor a little
below the level of the entrance by nightfall.’

^ We ve been digging all the afternoon. Hazel -’

I know. I’ll come and help you,’ said Hazel, hn just a
Only get started The night’s coming ’
jme astonished rabbits obeyed him, grumbling. Hazel’s
authority was put to something of a test, but held firm with
t e support of Bigudg. Although he had no idea what Hazel
nad in mind, Bigwig was fascinated by the strength and
courage of the bird and had already accepted the idea of
a 1 ^ It in, unthout troubling himself about the reason He
led the digging while Hazel explained to the bird, as well as
he could, how they Hved, their ways of protecting themselves
rom t eir enemies and the kind of shelter they could pro-
vide The amount of food the rabbits produced was not
but once inside the wood the bird clearly felt
rr.T. ^ ir hobble about and do some foraging

) 'uu'"'' and his helpers had scratched out a

dnw n f u entrance to one of the runs leading

''iid 1r ^ They lined the floor with beech twigs

It began to fall the bird was installed

pain* seemed to be in a good deal of

for in elf it va ’ could not think of any better plan

' d sec Its dark head alert in the gloojn^

KEHAAR 193

the black eyes still watchful It was not asleep when they
themselves finished a late silflay and went underground
Black-headed gulls are gregarious They hve in colonies
where they forage and feed, chatter and fight all day long
Solitude and reticence are unnatural to them They move
soutliwards in the breeding-season and at such times a
wounded one is only too likely to find itself deserted The
gulfs savagery and suspicion had been due partly to pain
and partly to the unnerving knowledge that it had no
companions and could not fly By the following morning its
natural instincts to mix with a flock and to talk were be-
ginning to return Bigwig made lumself its companion He
would not hear of the gull going out to forage Before ni-
fnth the rabbits had managed to produce as much as it
could eat - for a time at all events - and were able to sleep
through the heat of the day Bigwig, however, remained
With the gull, making no secret of his admiration, talking
3^nd listenmg to it for several hours At the evening feed he
joined Hazel and Holly near the bank where Bluebell had
told his story of El-ahrairah

* How’s the bird now ^ ’ asked Hazel
*A good deal better, I think,’ rephed Bigwig *He’s very
tough, you know My goodness, what a hfe he’s had * You
don’t know what you’re missing * I could sit and listen to him
sll day ’

‘ How was it hurt ^ ’

A cat jumped on him in a farmyard He never heard it
^ntil the last moment It tore the muscle of one of his wings,
but apparently he gave it something to remember before he
itiade off Then he got himself up here somehow or other and
just collapsed Think of standing up to a cat * I can see now
that I haven’t really started yet Why shouldn’t a rabbit
stand up to a cat"^ Let’s just suppose that — ’

But what is this bird ^ ’ interrupted Holly
‘Well, I can’t qmte make out,’ answered Bigwig 'But if I
Understand him properly - and I’m not at all sure that I do
- he says that where he comes from there are thousands of
his kind - more than wc can possibly imagine Their flocks

194 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

make the whole air white and in the breeding season their
nests are like leaves in a wood - so he says.*

*But where? IVc never seen onCj even.’

‘He says,’ said Bigwig, looking very straight at Hollyj he
says that a long way from here the earth stops and there
isn’t any more.’

‘Well, obviously it stops somewhere. Wliat is there
beyond^’

‘Water ’

‘A. liver, you mean?’

‘No,’ said Bigwig, ‘ not a liver. He says there’s a vast plac^
of water, going on and on. You can’t see to the other side.
There isn’t another side At least there is, because he s been
tliere Oh, I don’t know ~ I must admit I can’t altogether
understand it ’

‘Was it telling you that it’s been outside the world and
come back again ^ That must be untrue.’

‘I don’t know,’ said Bigwig, ‘but I’m sure he’s not lyiaS*
This water, apparently, moves all the time and keeps brea ■
mg against the earth- and when he can’t hear that, he misses
It. That’s his name - Kehaar. It’s the noise the water makes.
The others were impressed in spite of themselves.

Well, why’s it here?’ asked Hazel. . .

He shouldn’t be. He ought to have been off to this Big
ater place a long time ago, to breed. Apparently a lot o
toem come away m winter, because it gets so cold and wild-
xnen they go back in summer. But he’s been hurt once al-
rcady this spring It was nothing much, but it held him up-
^ rested and hung around a rookery for a bit. Then he got
stor^^ them, and he was coming along when he

‘fo and met this foul cat.’

‘vky ' SO on again?’ said Hazel.

^Go and TO have in mind?^^

Sdver too._Then?“SS.^"‘^ we’d'better have

The quiet of the evening silday, when the western sun

KEHAAR

195

shone straight along the ndge, the grass tussocks threw
shadows twice as long as themselves and the cool air smelt
of tliyme and dog roses, was something which they had
all come to enjoy even more than former evenings in the
meadows of Sandleford Although tliey could not know it,
the down was more lonely than it had been for hundreds of
years There were no sheep, and villagers from Kingsclere
and Sydmonton no longer had any occasion to walk over
the hills, either for business or for pleasure In the fields of
Sandleford the rabbits had seen men almost every day
Here, since their arrival, they had seen one and him^on a
horse Looking round the little group that gathered on the
grass. Hazel saw that all of them - even Holly - were looking
stronger, sleeker and in better shape than when they had
first come to the down Whatever might he ahead, at least
he could feel that he had not failed them so far

We’re doing well here,’ he began, ‘ or so it seems to me
We’re certainly not a bunch of hiessil any more But all the
same, there’s something on my mind I’m surprised, as a
matter of fact, that I should be the first one of us to start
thinking about it Unless we can find the answer, then this
warren’s as good as finished, in spite of all we’ve done ’
‘Why, how can that be, HazeP’ said Bigwig
‘Do you remember Nildro-hain^’ asked Hazel
‘She stopped running Poor Strawberry ’

‘ I know And we have no does - not one - and no does
means no kittens and in a few years no warren ’

It may seem incredible that the rabbits had given no
thought to so vital a matter But men have made the same
mistake more than once - left the whole business out of
account, or been content to trust to luck and the fortune of
^ar Rabbits live close to death and when death comes closer
than usual, thinking about survival leaves httle room for
anything else But now, in the evemng sunshine on the
fnendly, empty down, with a good burrow at his back and
the grass turmng to pellets m his belly. Hazel knew that he
was lonely for a doe The others were silent and he could tell
that his words had sunk in

WATERSHIP DOWN

grazed or iay basking in the sun. A lark went
‘saner brighter sunshine above, soared and

with a sideways,

Thp S^bde and a wagtail’s run thiough the grass.

be dn^^ Q Blackberry^ said, ‘ What’s to

oe done ? Set out again ? ’

do i ‘ depends. What I’d hie to

;Xe here.’

‘Another warren.’

Thfwinrf^ tliere any on these hills? How do we find out?
■rn“„ “''t *e least smell of rabbits.’

and search for ns^’ ®°

That bird^^*m^o^*^j ®?ackberry, ‘what a marvellous idea’
for ourselves ^ what we couldn’t discover

Persu"ad:d ?o r *T"?'

simply fly away and le^fL?’ "

hope for the'befi”*^^'^^ Haael ‘All we can do is feed it and
on With It so well “gW’S. since you seem to be getting
this means to nc ’^^^baps you can explain to it how much
us know what it sees to fly over the downs and let

to said Bigwig. ‘1 think I know hoW

uU the rabbits reason for it were soon known to

what they were up against^TK

m what he had saicl t 5 ■*■ was nothing very starthng

Rabbit ought to be - tVi ^ simply the one - as a Chief
tlwoughout the warren whom a strong feeling, latent

p an to make use of thf^* n to the surface. But his

as something that not ev!^ everyone and was seen

Kecoimaissance is fai^,f -blackberry could have hit upon,
second nature - but th^ ? ^^bbits - indeed it is

comrT '‘'u”®" mvage °f a bird, and

could reaUy do it, mmt®bEl 7”“'^ ‘hat Hazel, if he

be as clever as El-ahrairah himself

KEHAAR

197

For the next few days a lot of hard work went into feeding
Kehaar Acorn and Pipkin, boasting that they were the
best insect-catchers m the warren, brought in great numbers
of beetles and grasshoppers At first the gulPs principal hard-
ship was lack of water He suffered a good deal and was
reduced to tearing at the stems of the long grasses for mois-
ture However, during his third mght in the warren it
rained for three or four hours and puddles formed on the
track A ciuttery spell set in, as it often does in Hampshire
when hay-time approaches High winds from the south laid
the grass flat all day, turning it to a dull, damascene silver
The great branches of the beeches moved httle but spoke
loudly There were squalls of rain on the wind The weather
made Kehaar restless He walked about a good deal,
watched the flying clouds and snapped up everything the
foragers brought Searching became harder, for in the wet
the insects burrowed into the deep grass and had to be
scratched out

One afternoon Hazel, who now shared a burrow with
Fiver as in the old days, was woken by Bigwig to be told that
Kehaar had something to say to him He made his way to
Kehaar’s lobby without coming above ground The first
thing he noticed was that the gulfs head was moultmg and
turning white, though a dark-brown patch remained behind
each eye Hazel greeted him and was surprised to be
answered m a few words of halting, broken Lapine Evi-
dently Kehaar had prepared a short speech

^Meester ’Azel, ees rabbits vork ’ard,’ said Kehaar H no
finish now Soon I go fine ’

‘That’s good news,’ said Hazel *I’m glad ’

Kehaar relapsed into hedgerow vernacular
‘Meester Pigvig, ’e plenty good fella ’

‘Yes, he is ’

‘’E say you no getting mudders Ees finish mudders
Plenty trouble for you *

‘Yes, that’s true We don’t know what to do No motliers
anywhere ’

‘Listen I get peeg, fine plan I go fine now Ving, *e

XgS ON WATERSHIP DOWN

better Vind finish, den I fly. Fly for you. Find plenty
mudders, tell you verc dey arc, ya ’

‘Why, what a splendid idea, Kchaarl How clever of yo^
to think of It I You very fine bird.’ .

‘Ees finish mudders for me dis year. Ecs too late. A
mudders sitting on nest now. Eggs come ’

‘ I’m sorry ’

‘Nudder time I get mudder. Now I fly for you ’

‘We’ll do everything we possibly can to help you.

The next day the wind dropped and Kchaar made one or
two short flights However, it was not until three days later
that he felt able to set out on his search. It was a perfect
June morning He was snapping up numbers of the litti^
white-shelled, downland snails from the wet grass an
Clacking them m his great beak, when he suddenly turne
to Bigwig and said,

‘Now I fly for you ’

He opened his wings The two-foot span arched above
Bigwig, who sat perfectly still while the white feathers
beat the air round his head in a kind of ceremonious
well Laying his ears flat in the fanned draught, he stare
up at Kehaar as the gull rose, rather heavily, into the air
When he flew his body, so long and graceful on the groundj
took on the appearance of a thick, stumpy cyhnder, fi'c^
the front of which his red beak projected between his
round, black eyes For a few moments he hovered, his body
rising and falling between his wings. Then he began to
chmb, sailed sideways over the grass and disappeared
northwards below the edge of the escarpment. Big^S
returned to the hanger with the news that Kehaar had set
out.

The gull was away several days — longer than the rabbits
had expected Hazel could not help wondering whether he
really would return, for he knew that Kehaar, like them-
sdves, felt the mating urge and he thought it quite hkely that
after all he would be off to the Big Water and the raucous,
teeing -colonies of which he had spoken with such
ee ng to igwig As far as he was able he kept his anxiety to

V.

KEHAAR 199

himself, but one day when they were alone, he asked Fiver
whether he thought Kehaar would return
‘He will return/ said Fiver unhesitatingly
‘And what will he bring with him^’

‘How can I tell ^ ’ rephed Fiver But later, when they were
underground, silent and 'drowsy, he said suddenly, ‘The
gifts of El-ahrairah Trickery, great danger, and blessing
for the warren ’ When Hazel questioned him again, he
seemed to be unaware that he had spoken and could add
nothing more

Bigwig spent most of the hours of daylight watching for
Kehaar’s return He was inchned to be surly and short and
once, when Bluebell remarked that he thought Meester
Pigvig’s fur cap was moulting m sympathy for absent friends,
he showed a flash of his old sergeant-major spirit and cuffed
and abused him twice round the Honeycomb, until Holly
intervened to save his faithful jester from further trouble
It was late one afternoon, with a hght north wind blowing
and the smell of hay drifting up from the fields of Sydmon-
ton, when Bigwig came hurthng down into the Honeycomb
to announce that Kehaar was back Hazel suppressed his
excitement and told everyone to keep out of tlie way while
he went to see lum alone On second thoughts, however,
he took Fiver and Bigwig with lum
The three of them found Kehaar back in his lobby It was
full of droppings, messy and malodorous Rabbits will not
excrete underground and Kehaar’s habit of fouling lus
own nest had always disgusted Hazel Now, in his eagerness
to hear his news, the guano smell seemed almost welcome
‘Glad to see you back, Kehaar,* he said ‘Are you tired
‘ Ving ’e still go tired Ply liddle bit, stop liddlc bit, cvexy^-
thng go fine *

‘Arc YOU hungry^ Shall we get you some insects^*

‘Pine Pine Good fellas Plenty beetle * (All insects were
‘beetle* to Kehaar)

Clearly, he had missed their attentions and was ready to
<:njoy being back Although he no longer needed to have
food brought to the lobby, he evidently felt that he deserved

200 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

it. Bigwig went to get his foragers and Keliaar kept them
busy until sunset. At last he looked shrewdly at Fiver an

said, ^

‘Ehj Meester Liddle Von, you know vat I pring, ya.

‘ I Ve no idea,’ replied Fiver, rather shortly,

‘Den I tell All dis peeg ’ill, I go along ’im, dis vay, dat
vay, vere sun come up, veie sun go down. Ees no rabbits.
Ees nodings, nodings ’

He stopped Hazel looked at Fiver apprehensively.

‘ Den I go down, go down in bottom. Ees farm vid peeg
trees all round, on liddle hill. You know?’

‘No, we don’t know it But go on.’

‘ I show you. ’E not far You see ’im Und here ees rabbits.
Ees rabbits live in box; live vid men. You know?’

‘Live with men? Did you say “Live with men?’’

‘ Ya, ya, live vid men In shed; rabbits live in box in shed.
Men prmg food Youlcnow^’

‘I know this happens,’ said Hazel ‘I’ve heard of it*
That’s fine, Kehaar You’ve been very thorough. But it
can’t help us, can it ^ ’

‘I t’lnk ees mudders In peeg box But else ees no rabbits,
not in fields, not in voods. No rabbits. Anyvays I no see
’em.’

‘ That sounds bad.’

‘Vait I tell more. Now you ’ear I go flying, oder vay,
vere sun go middle of day. You know, dis vay ees Peeg
Vater ’

‘Did you go to the Big Water, then?’ asked Bigwig.

‘Na, na, not near so far. But out dis vay ees river, you
know?’

‘ No, we haven’t been so far.’

‘Ees river,’ repeated Kehaar. ‘Und here ees town of
rabbits.’

* On the other side of the river ? ’

‘Na, na You go dat vay, ees peeg fields all de vay. Den
after long vay ees come to town of rabbits, ver’ big. Und
after dat ees iron road und den river,’

‘Iron road?’ asked Fiver.

KEHAAR

' 201

‘ Ya, ya, iron road Yon not seen heem - iron road^ Men
make heem ^

Kehaar’s speech was so outlandish and distorted at the
best of times that it was only too common for the rabbits to
be unsure what he meant The vernacular words which he
used now for ‘iron’ and ‘road’ (familiar enough to sea-
gulls), his hsteners had scarcely ever heard Kehaar was
qmck to impatience and now, as often, they felt at a dis-
advantage in the face of his familiarity with a wider world
than their own Hazel thought quickly Two things were
clear Kehaar had evidently found a big warren some way
off to the south and whatever the iron road was, the warren
was on this side both of it and of a river If he had understood
rightly, it seemed to follow that the iron road and the river
could be Ignored for their purposes

‘ Kehaar,’ he said, ‘ I want to be certain Can we get to the
rabbits’ town without bothering about the iron road and
the river

‘ Ya, ya Not go to iron road Rabbit’s town in bushes for
peeg, lonely fields Plenty mudders ’

‘ How long would it take to go from here to the - to the
town^’

^ I t’mk two days Ees long vay ’

‘Good for you, Kehaar You’ve done everything we
hoped You rest now We’ll feed you as long as you want ’
‘Sleep now Tomorrow plenty beetle, ya, ya ’

The rabbits made their way back to the honeycomb
Hazel told Kehaar’s news and a long, disorderly, intermit-
tent discussion began This was their way of reaching a
conclusion The fact that there was a warren two or three
day’s journey to the south flickered and oscillated down
among them as a peimy wavers down through deep water
moving one way and the other, shifting, vanishing, re-
appearing, but always sinking towards the firm bottom
Hazel let the talk run on as long as it would, until at last they
dispersed and slept

The next morning they went about their fives as usual
feeding Kehaar and themselves, playmg and digging But

202

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

all this limcj just as a drop of water slowly swells until it is
heavy enough to fall from a twdg, the idea of what they
meant to do was becoming clear and unanimous. By the
following day Hazel saw it plain. It so happened that the
time for speaking came when he was sitting on the bank at
sunrisCj with Fiver and three or four others. There was no
need to summon a general gathenng The thing was settled.
When it reached them, those who were not there would
accept what he had said without having heard him at
all

‘This warren that Kehaar found/ said Hazeh ‘he said it
was big ’

So we can’t take it by force,’ said Bigwig

‘I don’t think I want to go and join it,’ said Hazel ‘Do
you^’

And leave here ? ’ replied Dandelion ‘After all our work ?
Besides, I reckon we’d have a thm time. No, I’m sure none of
us wants to do that ’

What wnwant is to get some does and bring them back
here, said Hazel ‘Will that be difficult, do you think?’

‘I should have thought not,’ said Holly. ‘Big warrens are
often overcrowded and some of the rabbits can’t get enough
to eat. The young does get edgy and nervous and some of
them don’t have any kittens on that account. At least, the
kittens begin to grow inside them and then they melt away

again into their bodies You know this ? ’

^I didn t know,’ said Strawberry.

That s because you’ve never been overcrowded. But our
warren — the Threarah’s warren — was overcrowded a year

% ^ younger does were re-absorbing

then iitters before they were born The Threarah told me

at ong ago, El-ahrairah made a bargain with Frith. Frith
promised him that rabbits were not to be born dead or
mwanted If there’s httle chance of a decent hfe for them,
born ’ ^ privilege to take them back mto her body im-

bargain story,’ said Hazel ‘So you
tmnli there may be discontented does? That’s hopeful.

KEHAAR

203

We’re agreed, then, that we ought to send an expedition
to tins warren and that there’s a good chance of being
successful without fighting Do you want everyone to
go^’

‘I’d say not,’ said Blackberry ‘Two or three days’
journey, and we’re all in danger, both going and coming
It would be less dangerous for three or four rabbits than for
hrair Three or four can travel qmckly and aren’t conspic-
uous and the Chief Rabbit of this warren would be less
hkely to object to a few strangers coming with a civil
request ’

‘I’m sure that’s right,’ said Hazel ‘We’ll send four
rabbits and they can explain how we come to be m this
difficulty and ask to be allowed to persuade some does to
come back with them I don’t see that any Chief Rabbit can
object to that I wonder which of us would be the best to
send^’

‘Hazel-rah, you mustn’t go,’ said Dandelion ‘You’re
needed here and we don’t want to risk you Everyone’s
agreed on that ’

Hazel had known already that they would not let him
lead the embassy It was a disappointment, but nevertlieless
he felt that they were right The other warren would have
little opinion of a Chief Rabbit who ran his own errands
Besides, he was not particularly impressive m appearance or
as a speaker This was a job for someone else

‘All right,’ he said ‘ I knew you wouldn’t let me go I’m
not the right fellow anyway — Holly is He knows everything
about moving m the open and he’ll be able to talk well when
he gets there ’

No one contradicted this Holly was the obvious choice,
but to select his companions was less easy Everyone was
ready to go, but the business was so important that at last
they considered each rabbit m turn, discussing who would
be the most likely to survive the long journey, to arrive in
good shape and to go down well in a strange warren Big-
wig, rejected on the grounds that he might quarrel m
strange company, was inclined to be sulky at first, but

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

came round when he remembered that he could go on
nf liimscif %vantcd to take Bluebell

Ohipf D ^uu' ^^^^3 oneiunny joke at the expense of the
Silver everything. Finally they chose

but wa Strawberry. Strawberry said little

ffood ^ very much pleased He had suffered a

the saticifn ^ ^tiat he was no coward and now he had
his new foends.^" ^owmg that he was worth sometliing to

Kehaar ^ morning, in the grey light,

sure thev wp to fly out later in the day, to make

news of their^ direction and bring back

the southern end^f Bigwig went %vith them to

away headino- tn th ^ danger and watched as they slipped
confident znrFth u distant farm. Holly seemed

back into the wood. ^azel and Big’.vig turned

rest^'^up to^tremT^^^^ we ean,’ said Hazel. ‘The
ought to be aU nght^^ El-ahrairah, now. But surely it

soon! I’m Bigwig. ‘Let’s hope they’re back

Httensmmy " -- doe Ld a fitter of

that, and tremble 1 ’ ^^^Bttle Bigwigs, Hazel ! Think of

24 Nuthanger Farm

When Robyn came to Notynghara,

Sertenly withouten layn.

He prayed to God and myld Mary
To bryng hym out save agayn

Beside him stod a gret-hedid munke,

I pray to God woo he be*
rful sone he knew gode Robyn,

As sone as he hym se

Child, No 1 1 9 Robin Hood and the Monk

Hazel sat on the bank in the midsummer mght There had
been no more than five hours’ darkness and that of a palhd,
twilit quahty which kept him wakeful and restless Every-
thing was going well Kehaar had found Holly during the
afternoon and corrected his line a httle to the west He had
left him in the shelter of a thick hedge, sure of his course
for the big warren It seemed certain now that two days
would be enough for the journey Bigwig and some of the
other rabbits had already begim enlarging their burrows m
preparation for Holly’s return Kehaar had had a violent
quarrel with a kestrel, screaming insults in a voice fit to
startle a Gormsh harbour and although it had ended in-
conclusively, the kestrel seemed likely to regard the neigh-
bourhood of the hanger with healthy respect for the future
Things had not looked better since they had first set out from
Sandleford

A spirit of happy miscluef entered mto Hazel He felt as
he had on the morning when they crossed the Enborne and
he had set out alone and found the beanfield He was con-
fident and ready for adventure But what adventure ^ Some-
thing worth telhng to Holly and Silver on their return
Something to - well, not to dinumsh what they were going
to do No, of course not - but just to show them that their

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

206

Chief Rabbit was up to an^i-hing that they were up to. He
thought it over as he hopped down the bank and sniffed out
a patch of salad burnet in the grass. What, now, would be
likely to give them just a little, not unpleasant shock ^
Suddenly he thought, ‘Suppose, when they got back, that
there were one or two docs here already'^’ And in the same
moment he remembered what Kehaar had said about a
box full of rabbits at the farm What soi t of rabbits could
they be? Did they ever come out of their box? Had they
ever seen a wild rabbit? Kehaar had said that the farm was
not far from the foot of the down, on a little hill So it could
easily be reached m the early morning, before its men were
about. Any dogs would probably be chained, but the cats
would be loose A rabbit could outrun a cat as long as he
kept in the open and saw it coming first. The important
thing was not to be stalked unawares He should be able to
move along the hedgerows without attracting ehl, unless he
was veiy unlucky.

But what did he intend to do exactly ? Why was he going
to the farm"!* Hazel finished the last of the burnet and an-
swered himself in the starlight ‘ I’ll just have a look round,’
he said, ‘ and if I can find those box rabbits I’ll try to talk to
them, nothing more than that. I’m not going to take any
risks - well, not real risks - not until I see whether it’s
worth it, anyway ’

Should he go alone ^ It would be safer and more pleasant
to take a companion, but not more than one. They must
not attract attention W^ho would be best ^ Bigwig ^ Dande-
on? Hazel rejected them. He needed someone who would
do as he was told and not start having ideas of his own At
once he thought of Pipkin Pipkin would follow him without
question and do anything he asked At this moment he was
^ j asleep in the burrow which he shared with Blue*'
comb^^ Acorn, down a short run leading off the Honey-

lucky He found Pipkin close to the mouth of
e urrow and already awake He brought him out with-
u isturbmg the other two rabbits and led him up by the

^UTHA^GER FARM 1207

lun that gave on tlic bank Pipkin looked about Wm un«
certainly, bewildered and half-expecting some danger
*It*s all right, Hlao-roo,’ said Hazel ‘There’s nothing to
be afraid of I want you to come down the lull and help me
to find a farm IVe heard about We’re just going to have a
look round it ’

‘Round a farm, Hazcl-rah^ What for^ Won’t it be
dangerous^ Cats and dogs and

‘No, you’ll be quite all right with me Just you and me - 1
don’t want anyone else I’ve got a secret plan, you mustn’t
tell the others - for the time being anyway I particularly
want you to come and no one else ^vlll do ’

This had exactly the effect that Hazel intended Pipkin
needed no further persuasion and they set off together, over
the grass track, acioss the turf beyond and down the escarp-
ment They went tlirough the narrow belt of trees and came
into the field where Holly had called Biguag in the dark
Here Hazel paused, sniffing and listemng It was the time
before dawn when owls return, usually huntmg as they go
Altliough a full-grown rabbit is not really m danger from
owls, there arc few who take no account of them Stoats and
foxes might be abroad also, but the mght was still and damp
and Hazel, secure in his mood of gay confidence, felt sure
that he would cither smell or hear any hunter on four feet

Wherever the farm might be, it must he beyond the road
that ran along the opposite edge of the field He set off at an
easy pace, with Pipkin close behmd Moving quietly m and
out of the hedgerow up which Holly and Bluebell had come
and passing, on their way, under the cables humming faintly
in the darkness above, they took only a few minutes to
reach the road

There are times when we know for a certainty that all is
well A batsman who has played a fine innings will say after-
wards that he felt he could not miss the ball and a speaker
or an actor, on his lucky day, can sense his audience carry-
ing him as though he were swimming m miraculous, buoy-
ant water Hazel had this feeling now All round him was
the qmet, summer night, luminous with starhght but pahng

2o8

ON WATEPvSlIIP DOWN

to dawn on one side There was nothing to fear and he
felt ready to skip through a thousand farmyards one after the
other. As he sat with Pipkin on the bank above the tar-
smelling road, it did not strike him as particularly lucky
when he saw a young rat scuttle across from the opposite
hedge and disappear into a clump of fading stitchwort
below them He had known that some guide or other would
turn up. He scrambled qmckly down the bank and found
the rat nosing in the ditch.

‘The farm,’ said Hazel, ‘where’s tlie farm — near here, on
a httle hill?’

The rat stared at him with twitching whiskers. It had
no^ particular reason to be friendly, but there was some-
thing in Hazel’s look that made a civil answer natural.

‘Over road Up lane ’

The sky was growmg hghter each moment Hazel crossed
the road without waiting for Pipkin, who caught him up
^der the hedge bordering the near side of the httle lane

rom here, after another listening pause, they began to

make ^their way up the slope towards the northern sky-
hne

aim me loot oi Watership Down and about half a mile
rorn ^ch, there is a broad knoll, steeper on the north side
ut a ng gently on the south >- like the down ridge itself,
arrow lanes climb both slopes and come together in a
gre^ ring of elm trees which encircles the flat summit Any
wind - even the hghtest - draws from the height of the elms
a rushing sound, multifohate and powerful. Within this
stands the farmhouse, with its barns and out-buildmgs
1 hundred years old or it may be older,

th ^ hnck, with a stone-faced front looking south towards
. ^ ^ ^st side, in front of the house, a bam

smnds clear of the ground on staddle-stones ; and opposite is
the cow-byre ^

Pipkin reached the top of tlie slope, the
O'^'^ed clearly the farmyard and buildings The
mging all about them were those to which they had

NUTHANGER FARM 209

been accustomed m former days A robin on a low branch
twittered a phrase and listened for another that answered
him from beyond the farmhouse A chaffinch gave its little
falhng song and farther off, high in an elm, a chiff-chaff be-
gan to call Hazel stopped and then sat up, the better to
scent the air Powerful smells of straw and cow-dung mingled
with those of elm-leaves, ashes and cattle-feed Fainter
traces came to his nose as the overtones of a bell sound m a
trained ear Tobacco, naturally a good deal of cat and
rather less dog and then, suddenly and beyond doubt,
rabbit He looked at Pipkin and saw that he too had caught
It

While these scents reached them they were also hstemng
But beyond the hght movements of birds and the first
buzzing of the flies immediately around them, they could
hear nothing but the contmual susurration of the trees
Under the northern steep of the down the air had been
still, but here the southerly breeze was magmfied by the
elms, with their myriads of small, fluttering leaves, just as
the effect of sunlight on a garden is magnified by dew
The sound, coming from the topmost branches, disturbed
Hazel because it suggested some huge approach — an ap-
proach that was never completed and he and Pipkin re-
mained still for some time, listemng tensely to this loud yet
meaningless vehemence high overhead

They saw no cat but near the house stood a flat-roofed
dog-kennel They could just ghmpse the dog asleep inside -
a large, smootli-haired, black dog, with head on paws
Hazel could not see a chain, but then, after a moment, he
noticed the line of a thin rope that came out through the
kennel door and ended in some sort of fastening on the roof
*Wliy a rope'^* he wondered and tlien thought, ‘Because a
restless dog cannot rattle it in the night *

The two rabbits began to wander among the out-
buildings At first they took care to remain m cover and
continually on the watch for cats But they saw none and
soon grew bolder, crossing open spaces and even stoppmg to
nibble at dandelions in the patches of \sccds and rough

210

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

grass. Guided by scentj Hazel made his way to a low-roofed
shed The door was half open and he went through it with
scarcely a pause at the brick threshold. Immediately op-
posite the door, on a broad wooden shelf — a kind of platform
— stood a wire-fronted hutch. Through the mesh he could see
a brown bowl, some greenstuff and the ears of two or three
rabbits As he stared, one of the rabbits came close to the
wire, looked out and saw him

Beside the platform, on the near side, was an up-ended
bale of straw Hazel jumped hghtly on it and from there to
the thick planks, which were old and soft-surfaced, dusty and
covered with chaff Then he turned back to Pipkin, waiting
just inside the door.

‘Hlao-roo,’ he said, ‘there’s only one way out of this
place You’ll have to keep watching for cats or we may be
trapped Stay at the door and if you see a cat outside, tell me
at once.’

‘Right, Hazel-rah,’ said Pipkin ‘It’s all clear at the
moment ’

Hazel went up to the side of the hutch. The wired front
projected over the edge of the shelf so that he could neither
reach it nor look in, but there was a knot-hole in one of the
boards facmg him and on the far side he could see a twitch-
ing nose

I am Hazel-rah,’ he said. ‘I have come to talk to you.
Can you understand me^’

ffhe answer was in slightly strange but perfectly intel-
ligible Lapine.

Yes, wc understand you My name is Boxwood. Where
do you come from^’

From tlie hills My friends and I live as we please, with-
out men We eat the grass, he in the sun and sleep under-
ground How many are you ? ’

‘Four. Bucks and does ’

‘Do \ou ever come out^’

'Vcs. sometimes A child takes us out and puts us in a pen
on the gras-- ’

1 ha\ e come to tell you about my warren We need more

NUTHANGER FARM

2IX

rabbits We want you to run away from the farm and join us *

* There’s a wire door at tlie back of this hutch/ said Box-
wood * Come down f there we can talk more easily ’

The door was made of wire nettmg on a wooden frame,
with two leather hinges nailed to tlic uprights and a hasp and
staple fastened with a twist of wire Four rabbits were
crowded against the wire, pressing their noses tlirough the
mesh Two - Laurel and Clover - were short-haired black
Angoras The others, Boxwood and his doe Haystack, were
black and white Himalayans

Hazel began to speak about the life of tlie downs and the
excitement and freedom enjoyed by wild rabbits In his
usual straight-forward way he told about the predicament of
lus warren in having no does and how he had come to look
for some ‘But/ he said, ‘we don’t want to steal your does
All four of you are welcome to join us, bucks and does ahke
There’s plenty for everyone on the hills ’ He went on to talk
of the evening feed in the sunset and of early morning in tlie
long grass

The hutch rabbits seemed at once bewildered and fas-
cinated Clover, the Angora doe - a strong, active rabbit -
was clearly excited by Hazel’s description and asked several
questions about the warren and the downs It became plam
that they thought of their life m the hutch as dull but safe
They had learned a good deal about elil from some source
or other and seemed sure that few wild rabbits survived for
long Hazel realized that although they were glad to talk to ^
him and welcomed his visit because it brought a httle excite-
ment and change into their monotonous life, it was not
within their capacity to take a decision and act on it They^
did not know how to make up their minds To him and his
companions, sensing and acting were second nature, but
these rabbits had never had to act to save their hves or
even to find a meal If he was gomg to get any of them as
far as the down they would have to be urged He sat quiet
for a httle, mbbling a patch of bran spilt on the boards out-
side the hutch Then he said,

‘ I must go back now to my friends in the hills but we shall

212

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

return. We shall come one night and when we do, believe
me, we shall open your hutch as easily as the farmer does:
and then, any of you who wish will be free to come with us.*
Boxwood was about to reply when suddenly Piphin spoke
from the floor. ‘Hazel, there’s a cat in the yard outside!’

‘We’re not afraid of cats,’ said Hazel to Boxwood, ‘as
long as we’re m the open.’ Trying to appear unhurried, he
went back to the floor by way of the straw-bale and crossed
over to the door. Pipkin was looking through the hinge. He
was plainly frightened.

I think It’s smelt us, Hazel,’ he said. ‘ I’m afraid it knows
where we are ’

‘Don’t stay there, then,’ said Hazel. ‘Follow me close and
run when I do ’ Without waiting to look out through the
hinge, he went round the half-open door of the shed and
stopped on the threshold.

The cat, a tabby with white chest and paws, was at the
arther end of the little yard, walking slowly and deliberately
a ong the side of a pile of logs When Hazel appeared in the
oorway it saw him at once and stood stock-still, with staring
eyes ^^^d twitching tail. Hazel hopped slowly across the
threshoM and stopped again. Already sunlight was slanting
across t e yard and in the stillness the flies buzzed about a

pate o ung a few feet away. There was a smell of straw and
oust and hawthorn.

js.ats getuiig

'You look hungry,’ said Hazel to the cat.
too clever, I suppose?’

sat blinking in the sunshine,
almost flat on the ground, thrusting its
l-m be^een its front paws. Close behind, Pip-

rmilfl ^ Hazelj never taking his eyes from the cat^

could sense that he was trembhng.

v™. „ ‘ u ^"Shtened, Hlao-roo,’ he whispered. ‘I’ll get

^ TK u it comes for us. Keep still.’

wao-o'^rJ^r hindquarters lifted and

wagged from side to side in mounting excitement.

eved Hazel ‘ I think not Why, you pop-

eyed, back-door saucer-scraper r i'

THE RAID

213

The cat flung itself across tlic yard and tlie tvvo rabbits
leapt into flight with great thrusts of their hmd legs The cat
came very fast indeed and although botli of them had been
braced ready to move on the instant, tliey were barely out of
tlie yard m time Racing up the side of the long bam, they
heard the Labrador barkmg m excitement as it ran to the
full extent of its rope A man’s voice shouted to it From the
cover of the hedge beside the lane they turned and looked
back The cat had stopped short and was licking one paw
witli a pretence of nonchalance

‘They hate to look silly,’ said Hazel ‘ It won’t give us any
more trouble If it hadn’t charged at us hke that it would
have followed us much farther and probably called up
another as well And somehow you can’t make a dash un-
less they do it first It’s a good thing you saw it coming,
Hlao-roo ’

‘ I’m glad if I helped, Hazel But what were we up to, and
why did you talk to the rabbits in the box^’

‘ I’ll tell you all about it later on Let’s go into the field
now, and feed , then we can make our way home as slowly
as you like ’

25 The Raid

He went consenting, or else he was no king It was no one’s place

to say to him, ‘ It is time to make the offering ’

Mary Renault The King Must Die

As things turned out. Hazel and Pipkin did not come back
to the Honeycomb until the evemng They were still feeding
in the field when it came on to ram, with a cold Wind, and
they took shelter first in the near-by ditch and then - since
the ditch was on a slope and had a fair flow of rainwater in

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

214

about ten minutes - among some sheds half-way down the
lane They burrowed into a thick pile of straw and for
some time remained listening for rats. But all was quiet and
they grew drowsy and fell asleep, while outside the rain
settled in for the morning When they woke it was mid-
aftemoon and still drizzhng It seemed to Hazel that there
was no particular hurry The going would be troublesome in
the wet and anyway no self-respecting rabbit could leave
without a forage round the sheds. A pile of mangels and
swedes occupied them for some time and they set out only
when the light was beginning to fade. They took their time
and reached the hanger a little before dark, with nothing
worse to trouble them than the discomfort of soaking wet
fur. Only two or three of the rabbits were out to a ratlier
subdued silflay in the wet No one remarked on their absence
and Hazel went underground at once, telhng Pipkin to say
nothing about their adventure for the time being He found
his burrow empty, lay down and fell asleep.

^ Waking, he found Fiver beside him as usual It was some
time before dawn The earth floor felt pleasantly dry and

snug and he was about to ero back to sleep when Fiver
spoke

‘You’ve been wet through. Hazel.’

^Well, what about it^ The grass is wet, you know ’

You didn t get so wet on silflay You were soaked. You
weren t here at all yesterday, were you ^

‘Oh, I went foraging down the hill ’

EaPng swedes and your feet smell of farmyard — hens’
roppings and bran But there’s some other funny thing

^ happened?’

Well, I had a bit of a brush with a cat, but v/hy worry

dangSou^^’^^^'^^ concealing something. Hazel Something
Its Holly that’s in danger, not I. Why bother about

‘HoUyp’ rephed Fiver in surprise ‘But Hofly and the
o ers reached the big warren early yesterday evening,
e aar told us. Do you mean to say you didn’t know?’

THE RAID 215

Hazel felt fairly caught out ‘Well, I know now,* he
replied ‘ Pm glad to hear it *

‘So It comes to tins,’ said Fiver ‘You went to a farm yes-
terday and escaped from a cat And whatever you ^vc^c up
to. It was so much on your mind tliat you forgot to ask about
Holly last night *

‘Well, all right, Fiver - Pll tell you all about it I took
Pipkin and went to tliat farm tliat Kchaar told us about,
where there arc rabbits in a hutch I found the rabbits and
talked to them and Pve taken a notion to go back one
night and get them out, to come and join us here ’

‘What for^’

‘Well, two of them are does, that’s what for ’

‘But if Holly’s successful we shall soon have plenty of
does and from all Pve ever heard of hutch rabbits, they
don’t take easily to wild life The truth is, you’re just trying
to be clever ’

‘Trying to be clever^’ said Hazel ‘Well, we’ll just see
whether Bigwig and Blackberry think so ’

‘Risking your life and other rabbits’ lives for something
that’s of httle or no value to us,’ said Fiver ‘ Oh yes, of
course the others will go with you You’re their Chief
Rabbit You’re supposed to decide what’s sensible and they
trust you Persuading them will prove nothing, but three or
four dead rabbits will prove you’re a fool, when it’s too late ’

‘ Oh, be quiet,’ answered Hazel ‘ I’m going to sleep ’
During silflay next morning, with Pipkin for a respectful
chorus, he told the others about his visit to the farm As he
had expected. Bigwig jumped at the idea of a raid to free
the hutch rabbits

‘It can’t go wrong,’ he said ‘It’s a splendid idea. Hazel*

I don’t know how you open a hutch, but Blackberry will
see to that What annoys me is to think you ran from that
cat A good rabbit’s a match for a cat, any day My mother
went for one once and she fairly gave it something to re-
member, I can tell you scratched its fur out like willow-
herb m autumn * Just leave the farm cats to me and one or
two of the others * ’

2i6 on watership down

Blackberry took a little more convincing: but he, like
Bigvvag and Hazel himself, was secretly disappointed not to
have gone on the expedition with Holly: and when the other
two pointed out that they were relying on him to tell them
how to get the hutch open, he agreed to come.

‘Do we need to take everyone?’ he asked. ‘You say the
dog’s tied up and I suppose there can’t be more than three
cats. Too many rabbits will only be a nuisance in the dark:
someone will get lost and we shall have to spend time looking
for him.’

‘Well, Dandelion, Speedwell and Hawkbit then,’ said
Bigwig, ‘and leave the others beliind. Do you mean to go
tonight, Hazel-rah?’

‘Yes, the sooner the better,’ said Hazel. ‘ Get hold of those
three and tell them’. Pity it’s going to be dark — we could
have taken Kehaar* he’d have enjoyed it.’

However, their hopes for that night were disappointed,
for the ram returned before dusk, settling in on a north-
west wind and carrymg up the hill the sweet-sour smell of
flowering privet from cottage hedges below. Hazel sat on
the bank until the light had quite faded. At last, when it was
clear that the rain was^omg to stay for the night, he joined
the others in the Honeycomb. They had persuaded Kehaar
to come down out of the wind and wet, and one of Dande-
lion s tales of El-ahrairah was followed by an extraordinary
story, that left everyone mystified but fascinated, about a
time when Fnth had to go away on a journey, leaving the
whole world to be covered with ram. But a man built a
great, floating hutch that held all the animals and birds
until Frith returned and let them out

‘It won’t happen tomght, will it, Hazel-rah?’ asked
listening to the ram m the beech leaves outside.
There s no hutch here ^

, the moon, Hlao-roo,’ said Blue-

bell, and you can come down on Bigwig’s head like a birch
ranch m the frost. But there’s tune to go to sleep first ’

jc ore Fiver slept, however, he talked again to Hazel
about the raid

THE RAID

217

‘I suppose it^s no good aslang you not to go^’ he said
‘Look here/ answered Hazel, ‘have you got one of yoiu:
bad turns about the farm^ If you have, why not say so
straight out? Then we’d all know where we were ’

‘I’ve no feehngs about the farm one way or the other/
said Fiver ‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all right
The feehngs come when they will — they don’t always come
Not for the lendn, not for the crow If it comes to that, I’ve
no idea what’s happening to Holly and the others It might
be good or bad But there’s something that frightens me
about you yourself, Hazel just you, not any of the others
You’re all alone, sharp and clear, like a dead branch against
the sky ’

‘Well, if you mean you can see trouble for me and not for
any of the others, tell them and I’ll leave it to them to de-
cide whether I ought to keep out of it But that’s giving up a
lot. Fiver, you know Even with your word for it, someone’s
bound to think I’m afraid ’

‘Well, I say it’s not worth the risk. Hazel Why not wait
for Holly to come back? That’s all we have to do ’

‘I’ll be snared if I wait for Holly Can’t you see that the
very thing I want is to have these does here when he comes
back? But look. Fiver, I’ll tell you what I’ve come to trust
you so much that I’ll take the greatest care In fact, I won’t
even go into the farmyard myself ITl stay outside, at the
top of the lane and if that’s not meeting your fears half-
way, then I don’t know what is ’

Fiver said no more and Hazel turned his thoughts to the
raid and the difficulty he foresaw of getting the hutch
rabbits to go the distance back to the warren

The next day was bright and dry, with a fresh wind that
cleared up what remained of the wet The clouds came
racing over the ridge from the south as they had on the
May evemng when Hazel first climbed the down But now
they were higher and smaller, settling at last mto a mackerel
sky like a beach at low tide Hazel took Bigwig and Black-
berry to the edge of the escarpment, whence they could
look across to Nuthanger on its htde hill He described the

2I8

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

approach and went on to explain how the rabbit-hutch was
to be found. Bigwig was in high spirits. The wind and the
^ospect of action excited him and he spent some time with
Dandelion, Hawkbit and Speedwell, pretending to be a cat
an enrauraging them to attack him as realistically as they
CO . Hazel^ whose talk with Fiver had somewhat clouded
, recovered as he watched them tussling over the grass
and ended by joining in himself, first as an attacker and

men as the cat, starmg and quivering for all the world like
the iNuthanger tabby.

I^shaU be disappointed if we don’t meet a cat after all
f andelion, as he waited for his turn to run at a

a en eec branch from one side, claw it twice and dash
^ agam. I feel a really dangerous animal ’

Meester Dando,’ said Kehaar, who was
^tmg for snaik in the grass near-by. ‘Meester Pigvig, ’e

no yoke; make you prave Cat ’e

come ’ ^ ^o see ’un, you no ’ear ’im. Den yomp ! ’B

Kehaar,’ said Big^vig.

betl'hlbreeTtal’p'rhT ‘O'’

no end ’ ^ ought to improve the warren stock

carried om decided that the raid should be

meant that as the farm was quiet This

journey over Jr- j nskmg the confusion of a night

stcaT^mcal aS. They co^d

the short distanre^t halt till darkness and cover,

provided they conlJ^ ^ Then -

plenty of time to ta ~ ^^ere would be

arrive at daw'n tht^^ ? the hutch; whereas if they were to
men came on the c%nc°F'^ tvorldng against time before
until the foliowtnVmo^^r''

" said HSzel, ‘iflprobably take these

THE RAID 219

rabbits a long tune to get to the down We shall have to be
patient with them I’d rather do that in darkness, ehl or no
elil We don’t want to be messing about m broad daylight ’
If It comes to the worst,’ said Bigwig, Sve can leave the
hutch rabbits and bolt Eld take the hindmost, don’t they^
I know it’s tough, but if there’s real trouble we ought to
save our own rabbits first Let’s hope that doesn’t happen
though ’

When they came to set out. Fiver was nowhere to be seen
Hazel felt reheved, for he had been afraid that Fiver might
say something that would lower their spirits But there was
nothing worse to contend with than Pip^n’s disappointment
at being left behind, and this was dispelled when Hazel
assured him that the only reason was that he had already
done his bit Bluebell, Acorn and Pipkin came with them

to the foot of the lull and watched them down the hedge-
row ^

They reached the sheds m the twilight after sunset. The
s^mer mghtfall was unbroken by owls and so quiet that
plainly hear the intermittent, monotonous
^hug chug chug’ of a nightingale in the distant woods
A wo rats among the swedes showed their teeth, thought
better of it and left them alone When they had foraged, they
rested comfortably in the straw until the western heht wa*?
quite gone ^

Rabbits do not name the stars, but nevertheless Hazel was
amihar with the sight of Gapella rising, and he watched it
now until It stood gold and bright in the dark north-eastern
nonzon to the right of the farm When it reached a certain

beside a bare branch, he roused
others and led them up the slope towards the elms
'N^ear the top he slipped through the hedge and brought
them down into the lane

Hazel had already told Bigwig of his promise to Fiver to

and Bigwig, who had changed much
smce the early days, had no fault to find

.0 do It, Hazel ’

said Anyhow, it’U smt us You stay outside the farm m a

220

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

safe place and we’ll bring the rabbits out to you :
can take over and get us all away.’ What Hazel had no
said was that the idea that he should remain in the ane
was his own suggestion, and that Fiver had acquiesced on y
because he could not persuade him to give up the idea o
the raid altogether.

Grouching under a fallen branch on the verge of the ane,
Hazel watched the others as they followed Bigwig down
towards the farmyard They went slowly, rabbit-fashion,
hop, step and pause The night was dark and they were
soon out of sight, though he could hear them movmg down
the side of the long barn He settled down to wait.

Bigwig’s hopes of action were fulfilled almost at once. The
cat that he met as he reached the far end of the barn was
not Hazel’s tabby, but another, ginger, black and white
(and therefore a female) , one of those slim, trotting, qmc "
movmg, tail-twitching cats that sit on farm wmdow-sil s
m the rain or keep watch from the tops of sacks on sunny
afternoons. It came briskly round the corner of the barn.

saw the rabbits and stopped dead

Without an instant’s hesitation Bigwig went straight for
it, as though it had been the beech branch on the down But
quicker even than he Dandehon ran forward, scratched it
and leapt clear As it turned. Bigwig threw his full weight
upon it from the other side. The cat closed with him, biting
and sciatclung, and Bigwig rolled over on the ground. The
others could hear him swearmg like a cat himself and
struggling for a hold Then he sank one back leg into the

( ai’s side and kicked backwards rapidly, several tunes
An) one who is familiar with cats knows that they do noi
eai< for a determined assailant A dog that tries to mak(
plca«:ani to a cat may veiy well get scratched for it
p.dn. But lei that s?mc dog insh in to the attack and man^
< at v.ill not wait to meet it. The farm cat was bewildercc

b) me ^p''cd and fui) of Bigwig’s chaigc. It was no weaklinj
,u d cood latter, but it had the bad luck to be up agains
. fh'o.ratfd fightci wlio was spoiling for action. As i
out of Big%vig’s reach, Speedwell cuffed it acros

THE RAID

221

the face This was the last blow struck, for the wounded
cat made off across the yard and disappeared under the
fence of the cow-byre

Bigwig was bleeding from three deep, parallel scratches
on the inside of one hind leg The others gathered round,
praismg him, but he cut them short, looking round the
dark yard as he tried to get his bearings

‘Come on/ he said ‘Quickly too, while the dog^s still
quiet The shed the hutch - where do we go^’

It was Hawkbit who found the little yard Hazel had been
anxious in case the shed door might be shut, but it stood
just ajar and the five of them slipped in one after the other
In the thick gloom they could not make out the hutch,
but they could both smell and hear the rabbits

‘Blackberry/ said Bigwig quicldy, ‘you come with me
and get the hutch open You other three, keep watching If
another cat comes, you’ll have to take it on yourselves ’
‘Fine,’ said Dandelion ‘Just leave it to us ’

Bigwig and Blackberry found the straw bale and climbed
on the planks As they did so, Boxwood spoke from the
hutch

‘Who’s that^ Hazel-rah, have you come back^’
‘Hazel-rah has sent us,’ answered Blackberry ‘We’ve
come to let you out Will you come with us ’

There was a pause and some movement in the hay and
then Clover replied, ‘Yes, let us out ’

Blackberry sniffed his way round to the wire door and
sat up, nosing over the frame, the hasp and the staple It
took him some time to realize that the leather hinges were
soft enough to bite Then he found that they lay so smooth
and flush with the frame that he could not get his teeth to
them Several times he tried to find a grip and at last sat
back on his haunches, at a loss

‘I don’t thmk this door’s going to be any good,’ he said
I^ wonder whether there’s some other way^’

At that moment it happened that Boxwood stood on his
hind legs and put his front paws high on the wire Beneath
his weight the top of the door was pressed slightly outwards

222

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

and the upper of the two leather hinges gave slightly where
the outer nail held it to the body of the hutch itself. As
Boxwood dropped back on all fours. Blackberry saw that
the hinge had iDuckled and risen just clear of the wood.

‘Try it now/ he said to Bigwig.

Bigwig got his teeth to the hinge and pulled. It tore a
very httle.

‘By Fnth, that’ll do/ said Blackberr}% for all the world
like the Duke of Wellington at Salamanca ‘We just need
time, that’s all.’

The hinge had been well made and did not give way until
they had put it to a great deal moie tugging and biting.
Dandehon grew nervous and twice gave a false alarm.
Bigwig, reahzmg that the sentries were on the jump from
watching and waiting with nothing to do, changed places
with him and sent Speedwell up to take over from Black-
berry. When at last Dandehon and Speedwell had pulled
the leather strip off the nail, Bigwig came back to the hutch
himself But they did not seem much nearer to success
Whenever one of the rabbits inside stood up and rested its
fore-paws on the upper part of the wire, the door pivoted
lightly on the axis of the staple and the lower hinge But the
lower hmge did not tear Blowing through his whiskers with
impatience. Bigwig brought Blackberry back from the
threshold ‘What’s to be done?’ he said. ‘We need some

magic, hke that lump of wood you shoved mto the
river.

looked at the door as Boxwood, inside, pushed
1 again he upright of the frame pressed tight against the
ower stop o leather, but it held smooth and fir m, offenng
no purchase for teeth.

c-v ^ other way - push from this side,’ he said
ou pus , igwig Tell that rabbit inside to get down ’

pushed the top of the door in-
u ^ immediately pivoted much farther than

bottom of the

nearlv leather hmge twisted and Bigwig

n^riy lost hts balance If it had not been for the metal

THE RAID 223

Staple arresting the pivoting, he might actually have fallen
inside the hutch Startled, he jumped back, growling

‘Well, you said magic, didn’t you^/ said Blackberry with
satisfaction ‘Do it again ’

No strip of leather, held by only one broad-headed nail at
each end, can stand up for long to repeated Uvisting Soon
one of the nail-heads was almost out of sight under the
frayed edges

‘Careful now,’ said Blackberry ‘If it gives way suddenly
you’ll go fipng Just pull it off with your teeth ’

Two minutes later the door hung sagging on the staple
alone Clover pushed the hinge side open and came out,
followed by Boxwood

^^^lcn several creatures - men or animals - have worked
togctlicr to overcome something offering resistance and have
at last succeeded there follows often a pause - as though
they felt the propriety of paying respect to the adversary
who has put up so good a fight The great tree falls, splitting,
cracking, rushing down m leaves to the final, shuddering
blow along the ground 'Ihen the foresters arc silent, and
do not at once sit down After hours, the deep snowdrift
has been cleared and the lorry is ready to take the men
home out of the cold But they stand a while, leaning on
their spades and only nodding unsmilingly as the car-
dnvers go through, waving their thanks The cunning
hutch door had become notliing but a piece of wire netting,
tacked to a frame made from four strips of half-by-half, and
the rabbits sat on the planks, sniffing and nosing it without
talking After a httle while the other two occupants of the
hutch, Laurel and Haystack, came hesitantly out and looked
about them ^

‘ Where is Hazel-rah ^ ’ asked Laurel
‘Not far away,’ said Blackberry ‘He’s waiting in the
lane ’

‘What is the lane ^ ’

‘ The lane ^ ’ said Blackberry in surprise ‘ Surely - ’

He stopped as it came over him that these rabbits knew
neither lane nor farmyard They had not the least idea of

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

224

their most immediate surroundings. He was reflecting on
what this meant when Bigwig spoke.

‘We mustn’t wait about now,’ he said. ‘Follow me, all of
you.’

‘But where said Boxwood.

‘Well, out of here, of course,’ said Bigwig impatiently.
Boxwood looked about him, ‘ I don’t know be

began,

‘Well, I do,’ said Bigwdg. ‘Just come with us. Never mind
anything else.’

The hutch rabbits looked at each other in bewilderment.
It was plain that they were afraid of the great, bristling
buck, with his strange shock of fur and his smell of fresh
blood. They did not know what to do or understand what
was expected of them. They remembered Hazel ; they had
been excited by the forcing of the door and curious to come
through it once it was open Otherwise, they had no purpose
whatever and no means of forming one. They had no more
idea of what was involved than a small child who says he
will accompany the climbers up the fell.

Blackberry’s heart sank What was to be done with them^

they would hop slowly about the shed
and the yard until the cats got them. Of their own accord
w ^ ”^ore run to the hills than fly to the moon.

as there no simple, plain idea that might get them - or
some of them ~ on the move? He turned to Clover.

on t suppose you’ve ever eaten grass by night,’ he
said It tastes much better than by day. Let’s all go and
nave some, shall we?’

‘Oh y«,> said Clover, ‘I’d like that But wiU it be safe?
^ j very much afraid of the cats, you know. They
makes^ sH^^^ sometimes through the wire and it

BlSbeJy''^^^ beginnings of sense, thoug

^ match for any cat,’ he replied, ‘t

‘Anri f here toiught ’

e oesn t want to fight another if he can help il

THE RAID 225

said Bigwig briskly ‘ So if you do want to eat grass by moon-
hght, let’s go to where Hazel’s waiting for us ’

As Bigwig led the way into the yard, he could make out
the shape of the cat that he had beaten, watching from the
woodpile Cat-hke, it was fascinated by the rabbits and could
not leave them alone, but it evidently had no stomach for
another fight and as they crossed the yard it stayed where it
was

The pace was fnghteningly slow Boxwood and Clover
seemed to have grasped that there was some sort of urgency
and were clearly doing their best to keep up, but the other
two rabbits, once they had hopped into the yard, sat up and
looked about them in a foohsh manner, completely at a loss
After a good deal of delay, during which the cat left the
wood-pile and began to move stealthily round towards the
side of the shed, Blackberry managed to get them out into
the farmyard But here, finding themselves in an even more
open place, they settled into a kind of static panic, hke that
which sometimes comes upon inexperienced climbers
exposed on a sheer face They could not move, but sat
blinking and staring about them m the darkness, taking no
notice of Blackberry’s coaxing or Bigwig’s orders At this
moment a second cat - Hazel’s tabby - came round the
farther end of the farmhouse and made towards them As it
passed the kennel the Labrador woke and sat up, thrusting
out Its head and shoulders and looking first to one side and
then the other It saw the rabbits, ran to the length of its
rope and began to bark

‘ Gome on ^ ’ said Bigwig ‘ We can’t stay here Up the lane,
everybody, and quickly too ’ Blackberry, Speedwell and
Hawkbit ran at once, taking Boxwood and Clover with them
mto the darkness under the barn Dandelion remained
beside Haystack, begging her to move and expecting every
moment to feel the cat’s claws in his back Bigwig leapt
across to him

Dandehon,’ he said m his ear, ‘get out of it, unless you
want to be killed'’

‘But the began Dandehon

226 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

‘Do as I say ! ’ said Bigwig. The noise of barking was fear-
ful and he himself was close to panic. Dandelion hesitated a
moment longer. Then he left Haystack and shot up the
lane, with Bigwig beside him

They found the others gathered round Hazel, under the
bank. Boxwood and Clover were trembling and seemed
exhausted Hazel was talking to them reassuringly, but
broke off as Bigwig appeared out of the dark. The dog
stopped barking and there was quiet.

‘We’re all here,’ said Bigwig ‘Shall we go. Hazel
‘But there were four hutch-rabbits,’ said Hazel. ‘Where
are the other two?’

‘In the farmyard,’ said Blackberry. ‘We couldn’t do any-
thing with them: and then the dog began to bark.’

‘Yes, I heard it You mean they’re loose?’

‘They’ll be a lot looser soon,’ said Bigwig angrily. ‘The
cats are there ’

‘Why did you leave them, then?’

‘Because they v/ouldn’t move. It was bad enough before
the dog started ’

‘Is the dog tied?’ asked Hazel.

‘Yes, It’s tied. But do you expect any rabbit to stand his
ground a few feet from an angry dog?’

‘No, of course not,’ replied Hazel ‘You’ve done wonders.
Bigwig They were just telling me, before you came, that
you gave one of the cats such a beating that it was afraid
to come back for more Now look, do you think you and
Blackbeny, with Speedwell here and Hawkbit, can get these
two rabbits back to the warren? I’m afraid you may need
most of the night. They can’t go very fast and you’ll have

to be patient with them Dandelion, you come with me,
Avillyou?’ ^

‘Where, Hazel-rah^’'

‘To fetch the other two,’ said Hazel ‘You’re the fastest,
so it won’t be so dangerous for you,' will it^ Now, don’t

hang about, Bigwig, there’s a good fellow. I’ll see you
tomorrow ’

Before Bigwig could reply he had disappeared under the

THE RAID 227

elms Dandelion remained where he was^ looking at Big-
wig uncertainly

‘Are you going to do what he says^’ asked Bigwig

‘Well, are you^’ said Dandehon

It took Bigwig no more tlian a moment to realize that if
he said he was not, complete disorganization would follow
He could not take all the others back into the farm, and he
could not leave them alone He muttered something about
Hazel being too embleer clever by half, cuffed Hawkbit off
a sow-thistle he was nibbhng and led his five rabbits over the
bank into the field Dandelion, left alone, set off after Hazel
into the farmyard

As he went down the side of the barn, he could hear Hazel
out in the open, near the doe Haystack Neither of the hutch
rabbits had moved from where he and Bigwig had left
them The dog had returned to its kennel, but although it
was not to be seen, he felt that it was awake and watchful
He came cautiously out of the shadow and approached
Hazel

‘I’m just having a chat with Haystack here,’ said Hazel
‘ I’ve been explaining that we’ve got a httle way to go Do
you think you could hop across to Laurel and get him to
join us ^ ’

He spoke almost gaily, but Dandehon could see his
dilated eyes and the shght trembling of his front paws He
himself was now sensing something peculiar - a kind of
luminosity - in the air There seemed to be a curious vibra-
tion somewhere in the distance He looked round for the
cats and saw that, as he feared, both were crouching in front
of the farmhouse a httle way off Their reluctance to come
closer could be attributed to Bigwig but they would not go
away Looking across the yard at them, Dandehon felt a
sudden clutch of horror

‘ Hazel he whispered ‘The cats* Dear Fnth, why are
their eyes ghttenng green hke that ^ Look * ’

Hazel sat up qmckly and as he did so Dandelion leapt
hack in real terror, for Hazel’s eyes were shining a deep,
glowing red in the dark At that moment the hummmg

228

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

Vibration grew louder, quenching the rushing of the night
breeze m the elms Then all four rabbits sat as tliough trans-
e y the sudden, blinding light that poured over them
1 e a cloud-burst. Their very instinct was numbed in this
tern 3 l(^lare. The dog barked and then became silent once
more. Dandehon tried to move but could not. The awful
brightness seemed to cut into his brain.

The <^r, which had driven up the lane and over the brow
un er t e elms, came on a few more yards and stopped.
^Lucy s rabbits is out, look!’

Ah I Best get ’un in quick Leave loights on!’

e sound of men’s voices, from somewhere beyond the
erce ght, l^ought Hazel to his senses. He could not see,
nnc he realized, had happened to his hearing or his

‘n j ut his eyes and at once knew where he was.

A ^ Haystack* Shut your eyes and run,’ he said,

of smelt the hchen and cool moisture of one

xvac t. ^ ^ 1, He was under the barn Dandelion

Out<nrl^Ui ^ ^ httle farther away was Haystack

^ boots scraped and grated over the stones.
That s it* Get round be’ind ’un.’

E won’t go far*’

‘Pick ’n up then*’

Haystack. 'I’m afraid we’ll have to
leave Laurel,’ he said Tust follow me.’

three the barn, they aU

were left hpt> A^ towards the elm trees The men’s voices
they found tvT A °^t into the grass near the lane,

funfesofe3ck^^■^^^^^^ behind the headhghts fuU of the
conhision. Haystack smell that added to their

persuaded to move. ^

‘AfferT^ihe™ Hazel-rahP’ asked Dandelion

and take; himrckT^trnte^

this doe. That’s wTi" f- ^ Hazel 'But we need

At fhi ^^t we came for.’

moment they caught the smell of burning white

THE RAID

229

sticks and heard the men returning up the farmyard There
was a metalhc bumping as they rummaged in the car The
sound seemed to rouse Haystack She looked round at
Dandelion

‘I don’t want to go back to the hutch/ she said

‘You’re sure^’ asked Dandelion

‘Yes I’ll go with you ’

Dandelion immediately turned for the hedgerow It was
only when he crossed it and reached the ditch beyond that
he reahzed that he was on tlie opposite side of the lane from
that on winch they had first approached He was in a
strange ditch However, there seemed to be nothing to
worry about - the ditch led down the slope and that was the
way home He moved slowly along it, waiting for Hazel
to join them

Hazel had crossed the lane a few moments after Dande-
hon and Haystack Belnnd him, he heard the men moving
away from the hrududu As he topped the bank, the beam of
a torch shone up the lane and picked out his red eyes and
white tail disappearing into the hedge

‘There’s ol’ woild rabbit, look*’

‘Ah* Reckon rest of ours am’t s’ far off Got up there with
’un, see Best go’n ’ave a look ’

In the ditch, Hazel overtook Haystack and Dandelion
under a clump of brambles

‘ Get on quickly if you can,’ he said to Haystack ‘The men
are just behmd ’

‘We can’t get on. Hazel,’ said Dandehon, ‘without leav-
ing the ditch It’s blocked’

Hazel sniffed ahead Immediately beyond the brambles,
the ditch was closed by a pile of earth, weeds and rubbish
They would have to come into the open Already the men
were over the bank and the torch-light was flickermg up and
down the hedgerow and through the brambles above their
very heads Then, only a few yards away, footfalls vibrated
along the edge of the ditch Hazel turned to Dandehon
Listen,’ he said, ‘ I’m going to run across the corner of the
field, from this ditch to the other one, so that they see me

230 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

They’ll try to shine that light on me for sure. Wliile they’re
doing that, you and Haystack climb the bank, get into the
lane and run down to the swede-shed. You can hide there
and ril join you Ready?’

There was no time to argue. A moment later Hazel

broke almost under the men’s feet and ran across the
field

' There ’e goes ! ’

Keep torch on ’un, then. Noice and steady * ’

Dandelion and Haystack scrambled over the bank and
ropped into the lane Hazel, with the torch-beam behind
im, had almost reached the other ditch when he felt a sharp
ow on one of his hind legs and a hot, stinging pain along
s side The report of the cartridge sounded an instant
somersaulted into a clump of nettles in the
Itch-bottom, he remembered vividly the scent of bean-

owers at sunset. He had not known that the men had a
gun

Hazel crawled through the nettles, dragging his injured
leg. in a few moments the men would shine their torch on

stumbled along the inner wall oi
^ 3 eehng the blood flowing over his foot Suddenly

^ draught against one side of his nose, a
Jit t, ° rotten matter and a hollow, echoing sound

wW^ the mouth of a land-dram

narrnw^^Sf^^ ditch - a smooth, cold tunnel,

tened f*ar u t^hbit-hole, but wide enough With flat-
it r)u«;hina-^^T Y prcssed to the wet floor he crawled up
still as he frn til ^ rnud m front of him, and lay

‘Ah T ’1+ ^ know, John, whether you ’it ’e er not.’

‘Ah\v/^ll u That’s blood down there, see?’

off be now^ don’t sigmfy. ’E might be a long ways

on be now. I reckon you’ve lost ’e.’

J reckon ’e’s in them nettles ’

Ave a look then ’

‘No ’e ain’t.’

5 s can t go beggarin’ up and down ’ere ’alf bloody

THE RAID

231

night We got to catch them as got out th’utch Didn’t
ought ’ave fired be roights, John Froightened they off, see^
You c’n ’ave a look for ’im tomorrow, if ’e’s ’ere ’

The silence returned, but still Hazel lay motionless m the
whispering chill of the tunnel A cold lassitude came over
him and he passed into a dreaming, inert stupor, full of
cramp and pain After a time, a thread of blood began to
trickle over the lip of the dram into the trampled, deserted
ditch

Bigwig, crouched close to Blackberry in the straw of the
cattle-shed, leapt to flight at the sound of the shot two
hundred yards up the lane He checked himself and turned
to the others

‘Don’t run'’ he said quickly ‘Where do you want to
lun to, anyway^ No holes here ’

‘Farther away from the gun,’ rephed Blackberry, white-
eyed

‘Wait ' ’ said Bigwig, hstening ‘ They’re runmng down the
lane Can’t you hear them ^ ’

‘ I can hear only two rabbits,’ answered Blackberry, after
a pause, ‘ and one of them sounds exhausted ’

They looked at each other and waited Then Bigwig got
up agam

‘ Stay here, all of you,’ he said ‘ I’ll go and bring them in ’

Out on the verge he found Dandelion urging Ha^rstack,
who was lamed and spent

‘Come in here quickly,’ said Bigwig ‘For Fnth’s sake,
where’s HazcP’

‘The men have shot him,’ replied Dandelion

They reached the other five rabbits in tlic straw Dande-
lion did not \vn\t for their questions

‘ 1 hc^ ve shot Hazel,’ he said ‘ They’d caught that Laurel
and put him back in the liutch Then they came after us
The three of us were at the end of a blocked ditch Hazel
'\cnt out of his owai accord, to distract their attention while
got away But wc didn’t know' they had a gun ’

232

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

‘Are you sure they kiUed him?’ said SpeedweU.

I didn t actually see him hit, but they were very close to
him ’

We d better wait,’ said Bigwig.

They waited a long time. At last Blackberry and Bigwig
went cautiously back up the lane. They found the bottom of
t le *tch trampled by boots and streaked with blood, and
returned to tell the others.

1 journey back, with the three limping hutch rabbits,

aste more than two weary hours All were dejected and

fetched. When at last they reached the foot of the do^vn

igwig to d Blackberry, Speedwell and Hawkbit to leave

^ em an go on to the warren. They approached the wood

just at rst light and a rabbit ran to meet them through the

wet grass. It was Fiver Blackberry stopped and waited

esi e im while the other two went on in silence.

inver, he said, ‘there’s bad news Hazel

I know, replied Fiver ‘I know now.’

ow o you know^’ asked Blackberry, startled

lot.* ^ through the grass just now,’ said Fiver, very

coverpfl 3- fourth rabbit behmd you, limping and

were ^ who it was, and then there

were only three of you, side by side.’

seeldn^thrw^^^ looked across the down, as though still

hffht ThpTi vanished in the half-

‘Do vou Vnrt ^ u nothing more, he asked,

^ happened ? ’

warren and news. Fiver returned to the

httle later ^^®^§^t)und to his empty burrow. A

and at once c^ed ^^^^h rabbits up the hill

Fiver did not appear.^'^'^'^'^^ ^ Honeycomb.

bell could for the strangers. Not even Blue-

to think that hp. word. Dandelion was inconsolable

the ditch The ^ have stopped Hazel breaking from

and a haifItiSd " dreary lienee

morning Holly came limping into the warren.

FIVER BEYOND

233

Of his three companions, only Silver was alert and un-
harmed Buckthorn was woimded in the face and Strawberry
was shivering and evidently ill from exliaustion There
were no other rabbits with them

26 Fiver Beyond

On his dreadful journey, after the shaman has wandered through
dark forests and over great ranges of mountains, he reaches an

opening m the ground The most difficult stage of the adventure now
begins The depths of tlie underworld open before him

Uno Harva, quoted by Joseph Campbell
in The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Fiver lay on the earth floor of the burrow Outside, the
downs were still ^in the intense, bnght heat of noon The
dew and gossamer had dried early from the grass and by
mid-morning the finches had fallen silent Now, along the
lonely expanses of wiry turf, the air wavered On the foot-
path that led past the warren, bnght threads of light -
watery, a mirage - trickled and glittered across the shortest,
smoothest grass From a distance tlie trees along the edge of
the beech hanger appeared full of great, dense shadows,
impenetrable to tlie dazzled eye The only sound was the
‘Zip, zip’ of the grasshoppers, the only scent that of the
warm thyme

In the burrow. Fiver slept and woke uneasily through the
heat of the day, fidgeting and scratching as the last traces
of moisture dned out of the earth above him Once, when a
tncklc of powdery soil fell from the roof, he leapt out of
sleep and was in the mouth of the run before he came to
himself and returned to where he had been l>ing Each
time he woke, he remembered the loss of Hajtcl and suffered
once more the knowledge that had pierced lum as the
shadowy, limping rabbit disappeared in the first light of

234

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

morning on the down. Where was that rabbit now? Where
had It gone? He began to follow it among the tangled
paths of his own thoughts, over the cold, dew- wet ridge and
down into the dawn-mist of the fields below.

The mist swirled round Fiver as he crept through thistles
and nettles. Now he could no longer see the limping rabbit
ahead He was alone and afraid, yet perceiving old, familiar
sounds and smells — those of the field where he was born
The tlnck weeds of summer were gone He was under
the bare ash boughs and the flowering blackthorn of
March He was crossing the brook, going up the slope
towards the lane, towards the place where Hazel and he
had come upon the notice board Would the board still be
there ^ He looked timidly up the slope The view was blotted
-With mist, but as he neared the top he saw a man busy over
a pile of tools - a spade, a rope and other, smaller imple-
mems, the use of which he did not know The notice board
ground It was smaller than he remembered
^ single, long, square post, sharpened at the
lartiier end to put mto the earth The surface of the board
was w ite, just as he had seen it before, and covered with
lines like sticks Fiver came hesitantly up
stopped close to the man, who stood looking
fppf ^ ^ narrow hole sunk in the ground at his

that an n tinned to Fiver with the kind of amiabihty
that he ^ victim whom they both know

‘Ih" r‘ u it to do so

^ asked the man

ing with fea/™ ^ ' ^"swered Fiver, staring and twitch-

I tip this ’ere oF board,’ said the man ‘And

s pose you wants t’know what fof, eh?’

^YeSj whispered Fiver.

h’js see wc^o^t ’Azel,’ said the man ‘On’y where

And what d’you reckon it^f eh?

1 don’t know ’ sai'rl i?,, ^ct-/

thing?* How — how can a board say

nVER BEYOND

235

‘Ah, but it do, see^’ replied the man ‘That’s where we
knows what you don’t That’s why we kills you when we
’as a mind to Now you wants take a good look at that there
board and then very^ likely you’ll know more ’n what you
knows now ’

In the hvid, foggy twilight, Fiver stared at the board As
he stared, the black sticks flickered on the wlute surface
They raised their sharp, wedge-shaped little heads and
chattered together like a nestful of young weasels The
sound, mocking and cruel, came faintly to his ears, as though
muffled by sand or sacking ‘ In memory of Hazel-rah ^ In
memory of Hazel-rah* In memory of Hazel-rah* Ha ha
ha ha ha ha*’

‘Well, that’s where ’t’ls, see^’ said the man ‘And I’ve
got fang ’im up on this ’ere board That’s t’ say, soon’s I
gets It stood up proper Same as you’d ’ang up jay, like, or
old stoat Ah* Gon’ ’ang ’im up ’

‘No*’ cned Fiver ‘No, you shan’t*’

‘ On’y I ain’t got ’im, see ^ ’ went on the man ‘ That’s why
I can’t get done I can’t ’ang ’im up, ’cos ’e’ve gone down
th’ bloody ’ole, that’s where ’e’ve gone ’E’ve gone down
th’ bloody ’ole, just when I’d got ’n lined an’ all, and I
can’t get ’n out ’

Fiver crept up to the man’s boots and peered into the
hole It was circular, a cylinder of baked earthenware that
disappeared vertically into the ground He called, ‘Hazel*
Hazel*’ Far down in the hole, something moved and he
was about to call again Then the man bent down and hit
him between the ears

Fiver was struggling in a thick cloud of earth, soft and
powdery Someone was saymg, ‘Steady, Fiver, steady*’ He
sat up There was soil in his eyes, his ears and nostrils He
copld not smell He shook himself and said, ‘ Wlio is it ^ ’

It’s Blackbeny” I came to see how you were It’s all
^'ight, a bit of the roof’s fallen, that’s all There’ ve been falls
all over the warren today - it’s the heat Anyway, it woke you
Irom a nightmare, if I know anything You were thraslung
about and cailmg out for Hazel Poor Fiver* What a

236 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

miserable thing it is to have happened 1 We must try to
bear it as best we can WeVe all got to stop rising 0 ^
day, you know. They say Frith knows all the rabbits, every

one.’

‘Is it evening?’ asked Fiver. ,

‘Not yet, no. But it’s a fair time after ni-Frith. Holly ana
the others have come back. Strawberry’s very ill an t
haven’t any does with them - not one. Everything s as a
it could be. Holly’s still asleep - he was completely exlmustea.
He said he’d tell us what happened this evening. When we
told him about poor Hazel, he said — Fiver, you re no
listening. I expect you’d rather I kept quiet.’

‘Blackberry,’ said Fiver, ‘do you know the place wkere
Hazel was shot?’

‘Yes, Bigwig and I went and looked at the ditch before W
came away But you mustn’t -’

‘ Gould you go there with me now ? ’

‘ Go back there ? Oh no. It’s a long way, Fiver, and what
would be the good? The risk, and this fearful heat, an
you’d only make yourself wretched.’

‘ Hazel isn’t dead,’ said Fiver. ,

‘Yes, the men took him away. Fiver, I saw the blood.
‘Yes, but you didn’t see Hazel, because he isn’t dea ,
Blackberry, you must do what I ask.’

‘You’re asking too much.’

‘Then I shall have to go alone But what I’m asking yon
to do IS to come and save Hazel’s life.’

When at last Blackberry had reluctantly given in and
had set out down the hill. Fiver went almost as fast as thoug
he were runmng for cover. Agam and agam he urged Black-
berry to make haste. The fields were empty in the glare.
Every creature bigger than a blue-bottle was sheltering from
the heat When they reached the outlying sheds beside the
lane, Blackberry began to explam how he and Bigwig had
gone back to search; but Fiver cut him short.

*We have to go up the slope, I know that: but you must
show me the ditch.’

The elms were still There was not the least sound in the

‘you can^t imagine it ^ 237

leaves The ditch was tluck with cow-parsicy, hemlock and
long trails of grecn-flowenng bryony Blackberry led tlie
way to the trampled patch of nettles and Fiver sat still
among them, smffing and looking about lum in the silence
Blackberry watched him disconsolately A famt breath of
wmd stole across the fields and a blackbird began to sing
from somewhere beyond the elms At last Fiver began to
move along the bottom of tlie ditch The insects buzzed
roimd his cars and suddenly a litde cloud of flies flew up,
disturbed from a projecting stone No, not a stone It was
smooth and regular — a circular lip of earthenware The
brown mouth of a dram, stained black at the lower edge by
a tlun, dried thread of blood of rabbit’s blood

‘The bloody hole^’ whispered Fiver ‘The bloody hole*’
He peered into the dark opening It was blocked Blocked
by a rabbit That was plain to be smelt A rabbit whose
faint pulse could just be heard, magnified m the confined
tunnel

‘HazeP’ said Fiver

Blackberry was beside him at once ‘What is it, Fiver
‘Hazel’s in that hole,’ said Fiver, ‘and he’s ahve ’

27 ‘You Can't Imagine it Unless
You've been There'

My Godda bless, never I see sucha people

Signor Piozzi, quoted by Cecilia Thrale

In the Honeycomb, Bigwig and Holly were waiting to
begin, the second meeting since the loss of Hazel As the
air began to cool, the rabbits woke and first one and
then another came down the runs that led from the smaller
burrows All were subdued and doubtful at heart Like the
pain of a bad wound, the effect of a deep shock takes some

WATERSHIP DOWN

^ child IS told, for the first time in his
not Person he has known is dead, although he does

ask - np comprehend it and later

and niore than once - where the dead person is

him<?(=If Tir ^ back. When Pipkin had planted in

would np ^ sombre tree, the knowledge that Hazel
and thi^: his bewilderment exceeded his grief:

companion every side among his
to prevent thp crisis of action and with nothing

before thp kk continuing their life m the warren as
viction that ft nevertheless overcome by the con-

expedition htd't f and HoH/s

What would follow?

ments of burdock goose-grass and frag-

and reassurino- i’ ^^^ing with the three hutch rabbits
now that Hafel h^ fh could. No one could say

prank The two ^nwn away his life in a foolhardy

naade; the warren anyone had

ill-at-ease in their new SI ^ plainly so

contending against bis that Holly was already

be hoped for foTtwT

tend to be infertile - anri h

selves at home m stran °^^cre these does to make them-
one was lost so oonri^^ ^honsandaplacewhereevery-

Perhaps, or wander

of explaining that he iatJ* ^ buckled once more to the task
as he did so, felt himself better times lay ahead, and

Bigwig had sent Acorn convmced of any.

still to come Acorn retump^l^^ whether there was anyone
ill and that he could finrl u Strawberry felt too

, ‘Well, kav. F Blackberry nor Frver

;N=ver m.nd,> sawT;::;

r>ycr and Blackberry? cfuld

yj'hout telling anySJe? K thev Vr '<=« warreii

ten the others get to kr d^ln^^*' happen

. to go

^YOU can’t imagine it . ’ 239

and look for them while there was still hght^ But if Kehaar
found them, what then^ They could not be compelled to
return Or if they were, what good would that do, if they
wanted to be gone ^ At that moment Holly began to speak
and everyone became qmet

*We all know we’re in a mess,’ said Holly, ‘and I suppose
before long we shall have to talk about what’s best to be
done But I thought that first of all I ought to tell you how
It IS that we four - Silver, Buckthorn, Strawberry and I -
have come back without any does You don’t have to re-
mind me that when we set out, everyone thought it was
gomg to be straightforward And here we are, one rabbit
sick, one wounded and nothing to show for it You’re all
wondermg why ’

‘No one’s blammg you, Holly,’ said Bigwig
‘I don’t know whether I’m to blame or not,’ replied
Holly ‘But you’ll tell me that when you’ve heard the story
‘That mommg when we left, it was good weather for
hlessil on the move and we all felt there was no hurry It was
cool, I remember, and looked as if it would be some time
before the day got really bright and cloudless There’s a farm
not far away from the other end of this wood, and although
there were no men about so early, I didn’t fancy gomg that
way, so we kept up on high ground on the evemng side We
were all expecting to come to the edge of the down^ but
there isn’t any steep edge as there is on the north The up-
land just goes on and on, open, dry and lonely There’s
plenty of cover for rabbits - standing corn, hedges and
banks - but no real woodland just great, open fields of light
soil With big, white flintstones I was hoping that we might
find ourselves in the sort of country we used to know -
meadows and woods - but we didn’t Anyhow, we found a
track vnth a good, thick hedge along one side and we decided
to follow that Wc took it easy and stopped a good deal,
because I was taking care to avoid running into clil I’m
sure it’s bad country for stoats as well as foxes, and I hadn’t
much idea what wc were gomg to do if we met one *

‘I’m pretty certain wc did pass close to a weasel,’ said

240 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

Sliver.^ I could smell it. But you know how it is with elil -■
if they re not actually hunting they often take no notice of

you We left very little scent, and buried our hraka as though
we were cats ’

‘Well, before m-Frith,’ went on Holly, ‘the track brought
us to a long, thin wood runmng right across the way we were
going These downland woods are queer, aren’t they^ This
was no thicker than the one above us now, but it stretched
as far as we could see either way, in a dead straight hne I
on t ike straight Imes * men make them And sure enough,
we ound a road beside this wood It was a very lonely,
empty road, but all the same, I didn’t want to hang about
there, so we went straight through the wood and out the
other side Kehaar spotted us m the fields beyond and told
us to a ter our direction I asked him how we were getting
on an e said we were about half-way, so I thought we

^ well^start looking for somewhere to he up for the

t idn t fancy the open and m the end we made
m t e bottom of a kind of little pit we found Then

c-r \ ^^good feed and passed the night very well

^ need tell you everything about the

^ came on to ram just after the morning feed and
werp ^ind with it, so we stayed where we

on Thp ^ ^ ni-Frith It brightened up then and we went
earlv ’^cry nice because of the wet, but by

was^ool^^niT^ ^ reckoned we ought to be near the place I
I a'lked h when a hare came through the grass and

^ b.g waLn clL by

-K, “AreyougomgtoEfrafa?”*

■ r ‘ 1 answered.

iJo you know it^ ’

‘ “Well,” ^hef s ^r)n’t. We want to know where it is ”

quickly.” ' advice to you IS to run, and

ly three big what to make of that, when sudden-

‘Majesty’. ressed and not the second, as m the word

'you can’t imagine it ’ 241

that night when I came to arrest you. Bigwig and one of
them said, “Can I see your marks

‘ “ Marks I said “What marks ^ I don’t understand ”

' “You’re not from Efrafa^”

‘ “No/’ I said, “we’re going there We’re strangers ”

' “Will you come with me^” No “Have you come far^”
or “Are you wet through"?” or anything like that

'So then these three rabbits took us off down the bank
and that was how we came to Efrafa, as they call it And I’d
better try and tell you something about it, so that you’ll know
what a dirty httle bunch of snivelling hedge-scrapers we are
here ^

‘Efrafa is a big warren - a good deal bigger than the one
we came from — the Threarah’s, I mean And the one fear of
every rabbit in it is that men are going to find them and
infect them with the white blindness The whole warren is
organized to conceal its existence The holes are all hidden
and the Owsla have every rabbit in the place under orders
You can’t call your life your own and in return you have
safety - if it’s worth having at the price you pay

'As well as the Owsla, they have what they call a Council,
and each of the Council rabbits has some special thing he
looks after One looks after feeding another’s responsible
for the ways m which they keep hidden another looks after
breeding, and so on As far as the ordinary rabbits are
concerned, only a certain number can be above ground at
one time Every rabbit is marked when he’s a kitten they
bite them, deep, under the chin or in a haunch or fore-paw
Then they can be told by the scar for the rest of their
hves You mustn’t be found above ground unless it’s the right
time of day for your Mark ’

'Who’s to stop you^’ growled Bigwig
That’s the really frightening part The Owsla - well, you
c^m’t imagine it unless you’ve been there The Chief is a
rabbit named Woundwort General Woundwort, they call
him I’ll tell you more about him m a minute Then under
him there arc captains - each one in charge ofa Mark ~ and
^'tch captain has his own officers and sentries There’s a

^42 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

Mark captain with his band on duty at every time of
t e day and night. If a man happens to come any-
w ere near, which isn’t often, the sentries give warning
ong before he comes close enough to see anything.

ey give warning of elil too. They prevent anyone
dropping hraka except in special places in the ditches,
where it’s buried. And if they see any rabbit above ground
w om they don’t recognize as having the right to be
ere, they ask to see his mark. Frith knows what happens
■R 1^ ^ explain himself - but I can guess pretty well.

Efrafa quite often go days at a time without
me sight of Frith If their Mark’s on night silflay then they
y ^i§ht, wet or fine, warm or cold They’re all used to
M ^ ^nd mating in the burrows underground. If n

oth ^ ^ silflay at their appointed tune for some reason or

there was a man working somewhere near -
sjus too bad They miss their turn till next day.’

asked Dandeiion^“''"' like ‘hat?’

do indeed/ replied Holly. ‘Most of them can’t

of EfrafJ ^ what they^re told TheyVe never been out
every rahV smelt an enemy. The one aim of
of the ^ the Owsla, because

Owsla is; to CP everyone in the

of everytliin? Council have the best

tough Thev^alcf- 't- * ^ have to keep very strong and

the oi^n for rfa ^ country - all round the place - living in
they can anH ^ Partly to find out anything

^d cunninv train them and make them tough

back to Efrafa If

reckon hlessil a da ^ come, they kill them. They

attention of men

^Vound\vo^t and thp trols report back to General

thing new that thp\r decide what to do about any-

‘They missed you o ’^.'= ’

‘Oh no, they didn’fl *en?’ said Bluebell.

y nidn t! We learned later that some time

‘you can’t imagine it ’ 243

after we’d been brought in by this rabbit - Captain Cam-
pion ~ a runner arrived from a Wide Patrol to say that they’d
picked up the track of three or four rabbits coming towards
Efrafa from the north, and were there any orders^ He was
sent back to say that we were safely under control

‘Anyway, this Captain Campion took us down to a hole in
the ditch The mouth of the hole was a bit of old earthen-
ware pipe and if a man had pulled it out, the opemng would
have fallen m and showed no trace of the run inside And
there he handed us over to another Captain - because he
had to go back above ground for the rest of his spell of duty,
you see We were taken to a big burrow and told to make
ourselves at home

‘There were other rabbits in the burrow and it was by
listening to them and askmg questions that I learnt most of
what IVe been telling you We got talking to some of the
does and I made friends with one called Hyzenthlay I told
her about our problem here and why we’d come, and then
she told us about Efrafa When she’d finished I said, “It
sounds terrible Has it always been like this^” She said no,
her mother had told her that m years gone by the warren
had been elsewhere and much smaller but when General
Woundwort came, he had made them move to Efrafa and
then he’d worked out this whole system of concealment
and perfected it until rabbits in Efrafa were as safe as stars
in the sky “Most rabbits here die of old age, unless the
Owsla kill them off,” she said “But the trouble is, there are
more rabbits now than the warren can hold Any fresh
digging that’s allowed has to be done imder Owsla super-
vision and they do it terribly slowly and carefully It all has
to be hidden, you see We’re overcrowded and a lot of
rabbits don’t get above ground as much as they need to
And for some reason there are not enough buc^ and too
many does A lot of us have found we can’t produce litters,
because of the overcrowding, but no one is ever allowed to
leave Only a few days ago, several of us does went to the
Council and asked whether we could form an expedition to

*Hy 7 enthlay * Shinc-Dcw-Fur’ - Fur shining like dew

244

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

Start a new warren somewhere else. W e said we’d go far, far
away - as far away as they liked. But they wouldn t hear o
it — not on any account. Things can’t go on like ^ j

system’s breaking down. But it doesn’t do to be ear
talking about it.”

‘Well, I thought, this sounds hopeful. Surely they won
object to our proposals'^ We only want to take a few oes
and no bucks They’ve got more does than there’s roorn o
and we want to take them farther away than anyone ore
can ever have been.

‘A little later another Captain came and said we were o
come with him to the Council meeting. ,

‘ The Council meet m a kind of big burrow It’s long nn
rather narrow — not as good as this Honeycomb of ours, o
cause they’ve got no tree-roots to make a wide roof. o ^
to wait outside while they were talking about all sorts o
other things We were just one piece of daily Counc
business: “Strangers apprehended” There was anot er
rabbit waiting and he was under special guard — Owslata,
they call them: the Council pohce. I’ve never been
anyone so frightened in my life — I thought he’d go mad
fear I asked one of these Owslafa what was the matter an
he said that this rabbit, Blackavar, had been caught trying
to run away from the warren Well, they took him inside an
first of all we heard the poor fellow trying to explain hnnse ,
and then he was crying and begging for mercy: and when he
came out they* d ripped both his ears to shreds, worse than
this one of mine. We were all sniffing at him, absolute y
horror-stricken, but one of the Owslafa said, “You needn t
make such a fuss. He’s lucky to be alive.” So while we were
chewing on that, someone came out and said the Council
were ready for us.

‘As soon as we got in, we were put up in front of this
General Woundwort: and he really is a grim customer. I
don t think even you d match up to him. Bigwig. He’s almost
as big as a hare and there’s something about his mere
pr^cnce that frightens you, as if blood and fighting and
kifimg were aU just part of the day’s work to him. I thought

‘you can't imagine it ' 245

he’d begin by asking us some questions about who we were
and what we wanted, but he didn’t do anything like that
He said, ‘‘I’m going to explain the rules of the warren and
the conditions on which you’ll hve here You must listen
carefully, because the rules are to be kept and any breaking
of them will be punished ” So then I spoke up at once and
said that there was a misunderstanding We were an em-
bassy, I said, come from another warren to ask for Efrafa’s
goodwill and help And I went on to explain that all we
wanted was their agreement to our persuading a few does to
come back with us When I’d finished, General Woundwort
said that it was out of the question there was nothing to
discuss I replied that we’d like to stay with them for a day
or two and try to persuade them to change their mind
‘ “ Oh yes,” he said, “ you’ll stay But there’ll be no further
occasion for you to take up the Council’s time - for the next
few days at any rate ”

‘I said that seemed very hard Our request was surely a
reasonable one And I was just going to ask them to con-
sider one or two things from our point of view, when another
of the Councillors - a very old rabbit - said, “You seem to
think you’re here to argue with us and drive a bargam But
we’re the ones to say what you’re going to do ”

‘I said they should remember that we were representing
another warren, even if it was smaller than theirs We
thought of ourselves as their guests And it was only when I’d
said that, that I realized with a horrible shock that they
thought of us as their prisoners or as good as prisoners,
whatever they might call it

Well, I’d rather say no more about the end of that meet-
ing Strawberry tried all he could to help me He spoke very
well about the decency and comradeship natural to animals
Animals don’t behave like men,” he said “ If they have to
fight, they fight, and if they have to kill, they kill But they
don’t sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of
spoiling other creatures’ lives and hurtmg them They have
di^ty and ammality ”

‘But It was all no use At last we fell silent and General

246

ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

Woundwort said, “The Council can’t spaic any more time
for you now, and I shall Iiavc to leave it to your Mark
Captain to tell you the rules. You’ll join the Right Flank
Maik under Captain Bugloss. Later, we shall see you again
and you’ll find us perfectly friendly and helpful to rabbits
who understand what’s expected of them.”

So then the Owsla took us out to join the Right Flank
Mark Apparently Captain Bugloss was too busy to see us
and I took care to keep out of his way, because I thought he
might want to start mai king us then and there. But soon I
began to understand what Hyzenthlay had meant when she
^id the system wasn’t working piopcrly any more The
burrows were overcrowded - at least by our standards. It
was easy to escape attention Even in one Mark the rabbits
on t a 1 know each other We found places in a burrow and
^ some sleep, but early in the night we were woken

an to to silfiay I thought there might be a chance to
run or It in the moonhght, but there seemed to be sentries
everyw ere And besides the sentries, the Captain kept two
runners wit him, whose job was to rush off at once in any
ir^on from which an alarm might be given.

fViP went underground again. Nearly all

ne rabbits were very subdued and docile. We avoided them,
Decause we meant to escape if we could and we didn’t
plan ° ™own But try as I would, I couldn’t think of a

ni-Fnth the next day,
terriblv AtN underground. The time dragged

on - I 1 It must have been as evening was coming

And do vmi h ^ §^nnp of rabbits listening to a story,
-btt UrwarShLT Letfuce’- The

Dandelion, but I hstlnfd nowhere near as good as

do And It was when if ^ something to

dresses up and pretenri where El-ahrairah

palace. tL Darzm’.

but I thought there wa It was a very risky one,

because every rabhit / that it rmght work, simply

^ °t)it m Efrafa usually does what he’s told ^

'you can’t imagine it ’ 247

witliout question Fd been watching Captain Bugloss and
he struck me as a nice enough fellow, conscientious and a
bit weak and rather harassed by having more to do than he
could really cope with

‘That night, when we ivere called to silflay, it was pitch
dark and raining, but you don’t bother about a little thing
hke that in Efrafa — you’re only too glad to get out and get
some food All the rabbits trooped up, and we waited until
the very last Captain Bugloss was out on the bank, with
two of his sentries Silver and the others went out m front of
me and then I came up to him panting as if I’d been runmng
‘ “Captain Bugloss^”

‘ “Yes^” he said “Wliat is it?”

‘ “You’re wanted by the Council, at once ”

* “Why, what do you mean?” he asked “What for?”

‘ “No doubt they’ll tell you that when they see you,” I
answered “I shouldn’t keep them waiting if I were you ”
‘“Who are you?” he said “You’re not one of the
Council runners I know them all What Mark are you?”

“I’m not here to answer your questions,” I said “Shall
I go back and tell them you won’t come?”

‘He looked doubtful at that and I made as if I were gomg
But then, aU of a sudden, he said, “Very well” - he looked
awfully frightened, poor fellow - “but who’s to take over
here while I’m gone?”

‘“I am,” I said “General Woundwort’s orders But
come back quickly I don’t want to hang about half the
mght doing your job ” He scuttled off I turned to the other
two and said, “Stay here and look alive, too I’m going
round the sentries ”

Well, then the four of us ran off into the dark and sure
enough after we’d gone a little way two sentries popped up
tned to stop us We all piled straight into them I thought
they’d run, but they didn’t They fought hke mad and one
m them tore Buckthorn all down the nose But of course
there were four of us, and in the end we broke past them and
simply tore across the field We had no idea which way we
"'vere going, what with the ram and the night we just ran

ON WATERSniP DOWN

"'«= a bit slow off the
‘here to give the

hear that ^ start. But presently we couJd

picIced^fnr^T^^*^ Owsla are no joke, believe me. They’re all
know strength and there’s nothing they don’t

much afraid darkness. They’re all so

thins else Tt ^ Council that they’re not afraid of any-
The patrol ^ before I knew we were in ti'ouble.

dark and rain could actually follow us in the

long thev wer could run away and before

ottthat I going to tell the

wtn we^^^^ tufn and fight

almost straiffhf .§^catj steep bank that seemed to slope
hillside beTof L^^^ than this

as^if men had mad^e seemed to be regular,

It was colerS^th roiSh

how far it was mTi. . bushes. I don’t know

high as a well-ProwrT^ exactly, but I should guess it was as
When we got tiftW ~ P^^haps a bit higher,

stones that shifted ! ^ ourselves on small, light

completely. Then ^atI them. That gave us away

and two great fixeH upon broad, flat pieces of wood

oHow, hurni^^ „1^^^5 that made a noise - a kind

self, “This is men’«! J the dark. I was just saying to my-
other side. I hadn’t re *]^ right,” when I fell over the
Was only a very short H ^ whole top of the bank

just as steep. I went across and the other side was

dark and fetched ur> JL heels down the bank in the
lay.’ up against an elder bush: and there I

Holly stopped and fell -t

At Whe’sSd*°"Sb pondering on

“ext. AlthougTallT to you what hap

““derstaud it outselvl T™*' t^ote there, we don’

• '^bat I’tn going to say now i

't

is

‘you can’t imagine it ’ 249

the cold truth Lord Fnth sent one of his great Messengers
to save us from the Efrafan Owsla Each one of us had fallen
over the edge of the bank in one place or another Buckthorn,
who was half-bhnded with his own blood, went down
almost to the bottom I’d picked myself up and was loolving
back at the top There was just enough light in the sky to see
the Efrafans if they came over And then - then an enor-
mous thing “ I can’t give you any idea of it - as big as a
thousand hrududil - bigger - came ruslung out of the night
It was full of fire and smoke and light and it roared and
beat on the metal lines until the ground shook beneath it
It drove in between us and the Efrafans like a thousand
thunderstorms with lightning I tell you, I was beyond being
afraid I couldn’t move The flaslung and the noise — they
split the whole night apart I don’t know what happened to
"the Efrafans cither they ran away or it cut them down And
then suddenly it was gone and we heard it disappearing,
rattle and bang, rattle and bang, far away m the distance
We were completely alone

‘For a long time I couldn’t move At last I got up and
found the others, one by one, in the dark None of us said a ^
word At the bottom of the slope we discovered a kind of
tunnel that went right through the bank from one side to
the other We crept into it and came out on the side where
^c’d gone up Then we went a long way through the fields,
tintil I reckoned we must be well clear of Efrafa We crawled
into a ditch and slept there, all four of us, until mommg
There was no reason why anything shouldn’t have come and
killed us, and yet we knew we were safe You may think it’s
n wonderful thing to be saved by Lord Fnth in his power
How many rabbits has that happened to, I wonder^ But I
tell you, it was far more frightening than being chased by
the Efrafans Not one of us will forget lying on that bank in
the rain, while the fire-creature went by above our heads
Why did It come on our account'? That’s more than we shall
^ver know

The next mormng I cast around a bit and soon I knew
'Which was the right direction You know how you always

^50 ON WATERSiriP DOWN

Stopped and wc set out. But jt was a very
ar journey back, Wc were exhausted Jong before the end
a except Sliver: I don’t know wliat we’d Iiave done with-
out im We went on for a day and a night without any real
res at a . We all felt that the only tiling wc wanted to do
was to get back heie as soon as wc could. When I reached
e woci ^ this morning I was just limping along in a bad
ream, l m not really much better than poor old Strawberr)^
m atraid. He never complained, but he’ll need a long rest

^ ^ Buckthorn - that’s the

second bad wound he’s had. But that’s not the worst now, is

Hazel: the worst thing that could have hap-
hp nh' asked me earlier this evening iff would

romnl^f 1 SHd to know you trust me, but I'm

as J ^ possibly take it on yet. I feel

as an autumn puff-ball - as though the
wind could blow my fur away.’

28. At the Foot of the Hill

^rvellous happy jt was to be
^one, and yet not solitary.

T dark, to come

In sight of home

Walter de la Mare 77ie Pilgnm

‘Sd It Ihl orllll t'*° y°"i” Dandehon.

evening, if my nose ^ change? It’s a lovely

more miserable than

‘Justbeforewesilflav ’c know.’

that I don’t believe am’ ‘can I tell you. Holly,

and three other rabbttc could have brought himself

‘ Frith meant us to o-^f back out of a place like that ? ’

realreason why we’re fepKed Holly. ‘That’s the

AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL 5251

As he turned to follow Speedwell up the run tliat led into
the wood, he found Clover beside him 'You and your
friends must find it strange to go outside and eat grass/ he
said 'You’ll get used to it, you know And I can promise you
that Hazel-rah was right when he told you it’s a better life
here than m a hutch Come with me and I’ll show you a
patch of mce, short tail-grass, if Bigwig hasn’t had it all
while I’ve been away ’

Holly had taken to Clover She seemed more robust and
less timid than Boxwood and Haystack and was evidently
doing her best to adapt herself to warren life What her
^ stock might be he could not tell, but she looked healthy
I like It underground all right,’ said Clover, as they came
up into the fresh air 'The closed space is really very much
hke a hutch, except that it’s darker The difficult thing for
us is going to be feeding m the open We’re not used to
being free to go where we hke and we don’t know what to
do You all act so qmckly and half the time I don’t know
why I’d prefer not to feed very far from the hole, if you
don’t mind ’

They moved slowly across the sunset grass, nibbling as
they went Clover was soon absorbed in feeding, but Holly
stopped continually to sit up and sniff about him at the
peaceful, empty down When he noticed Bigwig, a httle

way off, staring fixedly to the north, he at once followed his
gaze

^\\ffiat IS it**” he asked

It’s Blackberry,’ replied Bigwig He sounded relieved
Blackberry came hopping rather slowly down from the
sky-hne He looked tired out, but as soon as he saw the
her rabbits he came on faster and made his way to Bigwig

Where have you been^’ asked Bigwig 'And where’s
hiyer? Wasn’t he with you?’

Fiver’s with Hazel,’ said Blackberry 'Hazel’s ahve
^ s been wounded - it’s hard to tell how badly - but he
Won’t die ’

The other three rabbits looked at him speechlessly Black-
waited, enjoying the effect

^52 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

^ Hazel s ahvc'^^ said Bigwig, ‘Aic you sure
, Quite suic/ said Blackberry. ‘He’s at the foot of the hill
at t iis very moment, in that ditch where you were the night
Holly and Bluebell arrived ’

‘I can hardly believe it,’ said Holly. ‘If it’s true, it’s the
best news I’ve ever heard in my life. Blackberry, you reaUy
are sure? What happened? Tell us.’

'Fiver found him,’ said Blackberry. ‘Fiver took me wth
un, nearly all the way back to the farm* then he went
a ong 1 e ditch and found Hazel gone to ground up a land-
drain He was very weak from loss of blood and he couldn’t
get out of the dram by himself We had to drag lum by his
good hind leg He couldn’t turn round, you sec.’

^^t how on earth did Fiver know?’

h- knows? You’d belter ask

ditch, Fiver looked to

IiTnrl u ^ hurt. He’s got a nasty wound in one

onp ^ isn’t broken: and he’s torn all along

then wt i- places as well as we could and

wSleTvf him back It’s taken us th

and a lam^^r ^Kif f imagine it - daylight, dead silenc
me rabbit reekine" of frpcf> o t ijeo

and a lam/- ku ^ ^ imagine it - daylight, dead si

the hotte< 5 t ^ reeking of fresh blood? Luckily, it’s bee
ring- Timp this summer - not a mouse sti

pardev^d ^^^d to take cover in the cov

a butterfly on a stone^H' J“™P> but Freer was 111

ears “ Don’t get unset combed h

to worry about W?f ’ . ^ “There’s nothir

I’d have believed him”/

when we got to tti n d said we could hunt foxes Bi

finished and he cotild^V completel

taken shelter h, further. He and Fiver hav

you And here I ditch and I came on to te.

H think so,’ replied Rl ’ tomght?’

able to manage the h n ^^^^orry 'I’m sure Hazel won’t h
‘I’ll go down there ^ good deal stronger.’

’ "^'d Bigwig. 'I can help to make th<

AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL *253

ditch a bit moie comfortable, and probably Fiver will
be able to do with someone else to help to look after
Hazel ’

‘ I should hurry then, if I were you,’ said Blackberry ' The
sun will be down soon ’

‘Hah^ ’ said Bigwig ‘ If I meet a stoat, it’d better look out,
that’s all I’ll bring you one back tomorrow, shall I ^ ’ He
raced off and disappeared over the edge

‘Let’s go and get the others together,’ said Holly ‘Come
on, Blackberry, you’ll have to tell the whole thing, from the
beginning ’

The three quarters of a mile in the blazing heat, from
Nuthanger to the foot of the hill, had cost Hazel more pain
and effort than anything in his life If Fiver had not found
him, he would have died in the dram When Fiver’s urging
had penetrated his dark, ebbing stupor, he had at first
actually tried not to respond It was so much easier to
remain where he was, on the far side of the suffering he had
undergone Later, when he found himself lying in the green
gloom of the ditch, with Fiver searching his wounds and
assuring him that he could stand and move, still he could
iiot face the idea of setting out to return His torn side
throbbed and the pain in his leg seemed to have affected his
senses He felt dizzy and could not hear or smell properly
At last, when he understood that Fiver and Blackberry had
risked a second journey to the farm, m the broadest of day-
light, solely to find him and save his life, he forced himself
to his feet and began to stumble down the slope to the road
His sight was swimming and he had to stop again and again
Without Fiver’s encouragement he would have lam down
once more and given up In the road, he could not climb the
bank and had to limp along the verge until he could crawl
under a gate Much later, as they came under the pylon line,
he remembered the overgrown ditch at the foot of the hill
^nd set himself to reach it Once there, he lay down and at
once returned to the sleep of total cvliaustion
^ffien Bigwig arrived, just before dark, he found Fiver
snatching a quick feed in tlie long grass It was out of the

^54 ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

question to disturb Hazel by digging and they spent the
p ^ ^youched beside him on the narrow floor*
ommg out in the gi cy Jiglit before dawn, tlic first creature
igwig saw was Kehaar, foraging between the elders He
stamped to attract his attention and Kehaar sailed across to
oue beat of his wings and a long glide.

Meester Pigvig, you find Mecster ’Azcl?’

Yes, said B^vig, ‘he’s in the ditch here.’

B not dead?’

^ wounded and very weak. The farm men
shot him with a gun, you know,’

^ ^ou get black stones out ? ’

^How do you mean^’

coming fiddle black stones. You never

^ know about guns ’

ya?>^ ^ black stones, ’e get bettei. ’E come noiv

him awavi down to Hazel and found

Klehaar was''outs''i^"he''f

and into the grass. ^ Inmself up the short run

^urtyomYlo 4 ^ya?^^^ Kehaar ‘’E put fiddle stones for

bad, Fm^^raS^^'^ better,’ said Hazel. ‘My leg’s still very

as thouX^he^^r^^i ^^^aar’s head flicked from side to side
He Teered lZT" Hazel’s brown fur.

^IsnotlSnls ’e"re

Now I see you lea- n

Two sho^^ not long.’

haunch. Kehaar cfetectL^?^^ burled in the muscle of the
exactly as he mio-ht h ^nd removed them

Hazel had barely tim P^'^ked spiders out of a crack,
at the pellets in the or ^ ”^nch before Bigwig was sniffing

‘Nowees more bleS^’^L m tz- 7
vun, two day. Den p-nr./ 1 1 ^^Hehaar. ‘You stay, vait maybe

g°ot hie before Dose rabbits up dere, aU

AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL 255

vait, vait for Meester ’Azel I tell dem come ’ He flew off
before they could reply

As things turned out, Hazel stayed three days at the foot of
the hill The hot weather continued and for much of the
time he sat under the elder branches, dozing above ground
like some solitary hlessi and feeling his strength returmng
Fiver stayed with him, keeping the wounds clean and watch-
ing his recovery Often, they would say nothing for hours
together, lying in the rough, warm grass while the shadows ,
moved to evening, until at last the local blackbird cocked its
tail and tuck-tucked away to roost Neither spoke of Nut-
hanger Farm, but Hazel showed plainly enough that for the
future Fiver, when he gave advice, would have no hard
task to get him to accept it

Hrair-roo,’ said Hazel one evening, ^ what would we have
done wthout you*^ We’d none of us be here, would we^’

You’re sure we are here, then^’ asked Fiver

That’s too mysterious for me,’ rephed Hazel ‘What do
you mean‘s’

Well, there’s another place - another country - isn’t
there ^ We go there when we sleep at other times too, and
when we die El-ahrairah comes and goes between the two
as he wants, I suppose, but I never could quite make that
out, from the tales Some rabbits will tell you it’s all easy
there, compared with the waking dangers that they imder-
stand But I think that only sho^vs they don’t know much
about It It’s a wild place, and very unsafe And where are
We really - there or here‘s’

* Our bodies stay here - that’s good enough for me You’d
better go and talk to that Silvcrwecd fellow - he might knovi^
more ’

*Oh, you remember lum^ I felt that when ivc were
hstcmng to lum, you know He terrified me and > ct I knew
that 1 understood lum better than anyone else in that phcc
He knew where he belonged, and it wasn’t hcic Poor
fellow, I’m sure he’s dead They’d got him all nght - the
ones in that country’- Tlicy don’t gwe their secrets away for
nothing, you know But look» Here come Holly and Black-

^5^ ON WATERSIIIP DOWN

berr)'', so we d better feel sure weVe here just for the moment*
anyway.’

Holly had already come down the hill on the previous day

Df again the story of his escape from

ra a en he had spoken of his deliverance by the great

apparition in the night, Fiver had listened attentively and

as e one question, Did i t make a noise ^ ’ Later, when Holly

a gone back, he told Hazel that he felt sure there was some

natimal explanation, though he had no idea what it could

had not been gjcatly interested Forhim,

their disappointment and the

entirf-l Holly had achieved nothing and this was

r^hZ: unexpected unfriendliness of the Efrafan

Hayr-1 <- ^^^uing, as soon as they had begun to feed,
-Hazel returned to the matter.

nrohlpt!^ ^ I we’re hardly any nearer to solving our

show frvr Z done wonders and got nothing to

afmTd was only a filly lark, Fm

has still pt t^b^dug

at least h ^ully, you say it -was only a lark. Hazel, but
got ’ S VO us two does, and they’re the only two weVe

they any good?’

human have become natural to many male

fid^ty, Of females -ideas of protection,

to rabbits althni course, unknown

tachments much more f^^^^ certainly do form exclusive at-
However thev ar^ ^cquently than most people realize
Hazel and HoUv tn ^mantle and it came naturally to
as breeding stock fo Nuthanger does simply

risked their lives fnr^ warren. This was what they had
‘Well, It’s hard tn

their best to settle do^^’ repHed Holly. ‘They’re domg
seems very sensible 'r^ ^uth us - Glover particularly She
you know - iVe they’re extraordinarily helpless,

afraid they may anythmg like it - and Fm

y turn out to be debclte in bad weather

AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL 257

They might survive next wmter and then again tliey might
not But you weren’t to know that, when you got them out
of the farm ’

‘With a bit of luck, they might each have a litter before
the wmter,’ said Hazel ‘ I know the breeding season’s over,
but evcrytlnng’s so topsy-turvy with us here that there’s no
saying ’

‘Well, you ask me what I think,’ said Holly ‘I’ll tell you
I thmk they’re precious little to be the only thing between
us and the end of everything we’ve managed to do so far I
think they may very well not have any kittens for some time,
partly because this isn’t the season and partly because the
hfe’s so strange to them And when they do, the kittens will
very likely have a lot of this man-bred hutch-stock m them
But what else is there to hope for^ We must do the best we
can with what we’ve got ’

‘Has anyone mated with them yet^’ asked Hazel
No, neither of them has been ready so far But I can see
some fine old fights breaking out when they are ’

That’s another problem We can’t go on with nothing
but these two does ’

‘But what else can we do^’

I know what we’ve got to do,’ said Hazel, ‘but I still
can’t see how We’ve got to go back and get some does out
of Efrafa ’

‘You might as well say you were going to get them out of
Inl6, Hazel-rah I’m afraid I can’t have given you a very
clear description of Efrafa ’

‘Oh yes, you have - the whole idea scares me stiff But
we’re going to do it ’

‘It can’t be done ’

‘It can’t be done by fighting or fair words, no So it will
have to be done by means of a tnck ’

‘There’s no tnck will get the better of that lot, believe me
There are far more of them than there are of us they’re
very highly organized and I’m only telling the truth when
I say that they can fight, run and follow a trail every bit as
well as we can and a lot of them, much better ’

WAIERSHIP DOWN

JThe trick ’ said Hazel, turning to Blackbcrn', who all
triVP u ^ nibbling and listening in silence, ‘the

th^ things. First, it will have to get

the does out of Efrafa and secondly it will have to put paid
o the pursuit. For a pursuit there’s bound to be and tse
another miracle. But that’s not all. Once we’re

bpvn ^ ^ become impossible to find-

beyond^the reach of any Wide Patrol.’

ceed w!. Ih doubtfully. ‘Yes, I agree. To suc-

‘ypq A ^^1 rnanage all those things ’

5 ^ trick, Blackberry, is going to be deiosed b}

scent of dogwood filled the air, in the
white insects hummed around the dense,

and orantr^^N ^ngmg low above the grass. A pair of brown
off from a cr disturbed by the feeding rabbits, took

coupled together

aU ’ tnck to put us right once and for

least, said Blackberry. ‘At

can’t see ^ .]] dangerous. The other two I

Fiver’ ^’d like to talk it over with

better,’ said ^ back to the warren the

same I think w^e’n 1 S^od enough now, but all the

Good old Holly, W^
morning^ It worries tomorrow

may start fightmg about r? Bigvrig and Silver

‘Hazel,’ said Holly moment ’

at all. I’ve been m Pf 1 ^ ^ ^ *is idea of yours

a bad mistake and v/^^^ haven’t. You’re making

It was Fiver who S^t: us all killed ’

know,’ he said ‘buf ^ ought to feel like that, I

believe w'e can do it it doesn’t; not to me I

he says it’s the only ^ ^ sure Hazel’s right when

talking about it for a bit?^^ Suppose we go on

RETURN AND DEPARTURE 259

‘Not now,’ said Hazel ‘Time for underground down
here - come on But if you two race up the lull, you’ll
probably be in time for some more simshme at the top
Good night ’

29 Return and Departure

He which hath no stomach to this fight,

Let him depart, his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse
We would not die m diat man’s company
That fears his fcllouship, to die witli us

Shakespeare Henry V

The following mormng all the rabbits were out at silflay by
dawn and there was a good deal of excitement as they waited
for Hazel During the pre\Tious few days Blackberry had had
to repeat several times the story of the journey to the farm
^nd the finding of Hazel in the dram One or two had
suggested that Kehaar must have found Hazel and told
Fiver secretly But Kehaar demed this and, when pressed^
^^oplied cryptically that Fiver was one who had travelled a
good deal- farther than he had himself As for Hazel, he
had acquired, m everyone’s eyes, a kind of magical quality
Of all the warren, Dandelion was the last rabbit to fail to
do justice to a good story and he made the most of Hazel’s
heroic dash out of the ditch to save his friends from the
farmers No one had even suggested that Hazel might have
been reckless in going to the farm Against all odds he had
got them two does and now he was bringing their luck
back to the warren

Just before sunrise Piplan and Speedwell saw Fiver com-
ing through the wet grass near the summit of the down
They ran out to meet lum and waited with him until Hazel
came up to them Hazel was hmpmg and had evidently

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

^ Strain, but after resting and feeding for a

warren almost as

, ^ rabbits crowded round. Everyone

panted to touch him. He was sniffed and tussled with and

w(=rf^ iri the grass until he felt almost- as though he

v/ere being attacked Human : this

their Zr uV • ^ T T questions, but the rabbits expressed
ser..f»c proving to themselves through their

toTten?, HazeWah. It was all he could do

if T ]a\r ri ^ ^ ^ ^ rough play. H wonder what would happen
I ‘They’d Hck me out,

This is ZL have a crippled Chief Rabbit,

know it tlf f ^ welcome, even though they don’t

done.’ ^ ^ them, the rascah, before I’m

broke aw^? Speedwell off his back and
wood were on fh wood. Strawberry and Box-

andco^bli^S^^^^

said to Wood *LoSr 7t^-^^^aved feUows like you,’ he

nearly finished me ofFf

and how are you setthn^^^r

we’re leaminff.^StralTh strange,’ said Boxwood, ‘but

deal. We were just 77ein7bZ^ helping me a great

the Wind but that’^ cn niany smells I could tell on

‘Keep near the^hn£^^^ begin with,’ said Hazel

or thing And how ~ alone - all that sort

‘More or less ’ an ^^^^wberry? Are you better^’

lot and sit in the sun Strawberry, ‘ as long as I sleep a

of my Wits - that’s thr been terrified half out

tlic horrors for days IkentThf^l!- the shivers and

" "a. it ul i„ “ Efrafa.-

26 i

RETURN AND DEPARTURE

*rd rather die than go back to Efrafa/ said Strawberry^,
*or nsk going any^vhcrc near it I don’t know winch was
worse, the boredom or the fear All the same/ he added after
a few moments, * there arc rabbits there ho’d be the same
as we arc if they could only live naturally, like us Several
would be glad to leave the place if they only could ’

Before they went underground Hazel talked to almost all
the rabbits As he expected, they were disappointed over the
failure at Efrafa and full of mdignation at the ill-treatmcnt
of Holly and his companions More than one thought,
like Holly, that the two does were likely to give nse to
trouble

‘There should have been more, Hazel,’ said Bigwig ‘We
shall all be at each other’s throats, you know - I don’t see
how It’s to be helped ’

Late in the afternoon Hazel called everyone into the
Honeycomb

‘I’ve been thinking things over,’ he said ‘I know you
uiust all have been really disappointed not to have got rid
of me at Nuthanger Farm the other day, so I’ve decided to
go a bit further next time ’

‘ Where asked Bluebell

‘To Efrafa,’ replied Hazel, ‘if I can get anyone to come
^vith me and we shall bring back as many does as the
warren needs ’

There were murmurs of astonishment, and then Speed-
well asked, ‘How

‘ Blackberry and I have got a plan,’ said Hazel, but I m
not going to explain it now, for this reason You all know
that this IS going to be a dangerous business If any of you
get caught and taken into Efrafa, they’ll make you talk all
^^gbt But those who don’t know a plan can t give it away
I’ll explain it later on, at the proper tune

‘Are you gomg to need many rabbits, Hazel-rab asked
Dandehon ‘ From all I hear, the whole lot of us wouldn’t be
enough to fight the Efrafans ’

‘ I hope we shan’t have to fight at all,’ replied Hazel, but
there’s always the possibility Anyway, it’ll be a longjourney

ON WATERSHIP DOWN

home with the does, and if by any chance we meet a Wide

f way, there have got to be enough of us to deal

with them ’ ^

‘ Would we have to go into Efrafa ? ’ asked Pipkin timidly
^No, said Hazel, ‘we shall

‘I never thought. Hazel,’ interrupted Holly, H never
nought that the time would come when I should feel

tV. ^^^1 1 ^P^nk against you But I can only say again that
JUS IS likely to be a complete disaster I know what you think
you re counting on General Woundwort not having any-
im as c ^ver as Blackberry and Fiver. You’re quite right -

cr<-i-^^7 ^ remains that no one can

g a bunch of does away from that place. You all know that
^P^nt my life patrolling and tracking in the open. Well)
rabbhs in the Efrafan Owsla who are better at it
T/tr ^ I ni admitting it and they^ll hunt you dowi^

with your does and kill you Great Frith! We all have to
to uiatch some time or other ’ I know you want only

sensible and give this scheme up

to <?t:.T ^ r ^ P^ace like Efrafa is

to stay as far away from it as possible.’

ri^htP^wu^^ Honeycomb ‘That must be

the t)e torn to pieces ^ ’ ‘ That rabbit with

he’s^r - tT" ~ Hazel-rah must know what

H..el to go.’

tins We 7 . patiently for quiet At last he said, ‘It’s like

thev are- or the best of things as

course there’<!^^ them right once and for all. Of

happened to Hnll^ ' knows that who’s heard what

risk after another ®^t haven’t we faced one

WhaldoyoumcaAtodorqr^u^^®”^ warren we left
eyes out over tivo does whe^^L^^^^ scratch each other s
you’re afraid to L aS
glad to come and "om iS" >

Someone called out, ‘What does Fiver thinkP’

recu>” ghl P^--

> j,iiL ana tiicrc s nothing the matter with his plan.

RETURN AND DEPARTURE 1263

But I promise ) on this, nil of you If I do come, later on, to
feel any kind of misg;iving, I shan’t keep it to myself’

‘And if that happens, I shan’t ignore it/ said Hazel
There was silence Tlitn BigtMg spoke
‘You may as well all know that I’m going,’ he said, *and
we shall have Kchaar wnth us, if that appeals to you at all ’
Tlicrc was a buz? of surprise

‘Of course, there arc <omc of us w^ho ought to stay here,’
said Hazel ‘The farm labbits can’t be expected to go and
I’m not asking anyone who w^ent the first time to go back
again ’

‘I’ll come, though/ said Silver ‘I hate General Wound-
wort and his Council with all my guts and if we’re really
going to make fools of them I want to be there, as long as I
don’t have to go back inside the place — that I couldn’t face
But after all, you’re going to need someone who kno^vs the
way ’

I’ll come,’ said Pipkm ‘Hazcl-rah saved my - I mean,
I’m sure he Imows what’s - * He became confused ‘Anyway,
I’ll come,’ he repeated, m a very nervous voice
There was a scuffling in the run that led down from the
wood and Hazel called, ‘Who’s that?’

‘It’s I, Hazel-rah - Blackberry ’

‘Blackberry^’ said Hazel ‘Why, I thought you’d been
here all the tune Where have you been^’

Sorry not to have come before,’ said Blackberry ‘I’ve
been talking to Kehaar, as a matter of fact, about the plan
He’s improved it a good deal If I’m not mistaken, General
Woundwort’s going to look remarkably silly before we’ve
fimshed I thought at first that it couldn’t be done, but now
I feel sure it can *

‘ Gome where the grass is greener,’ said Bluebell,

‘And the lettuces grow m rows,

‘And a rabbit of free demeanour
‘ Is known by his well-scratched nose ’

‘I think I shall have to come, just to satisfy my curiosity
I’ve been opemng and shutting my mouth hke a baby bird to
know about this plan and no one puts anythmg in I suppose

^^4 ON WATERSHIP DOWN

Bigwig’s going to dress up as a hrududu and drive aU the
does across the field.’

Hazel turned on him sharply. Bluebell sat up on his hind
legs and said, ‘Please General Woundwort, sir, I’m only a
httle hrududu and I’ve left all my petrol on the grass, so if

you wouldn t mind eating the grass, sir, while I just give
this lady a ride

‘Bluebell,’ said Hazel, ‘shut up!’

Im sorry, Hazel-rah,’ replied Bluebell m surprise ‘I
didn t mean any harm I was only trying to cheer everyone
up^ a bit After all, most of us feel fnghtened at the idea of
going to this place and you can’t blame us, can you? It
sounds horribly dangerous.’

‘WeU, look here,’ said Hazel, ‘we’U finish this meeting
now Let’s wait and see what we decide - that’s the rabbits’
way No one has to go to Efrafa who doesn’t want to, but
it s clear enough that some of us mean to go Now I’m off to
talk to Kehaar myself’

He found Kehaar just inside the trees, snapping and
tearing with his great beak at a foul-smelhng piece of flak-
ing, brown flesh, which seemed to be hanging from a
tracery of bones He wrinkled his nose m disgust at the
o our, which filled the wood around and was already
atti acting ants and blue-bottles.

‘What on earth is that, Kehaar?’ he asked. ‘It smells
appalling i ’

v2r"Ergo^°"’

thcrc?'^'' Water? (Ugh!) Did you find it

Men have heem Down to farm ees plenty peeg

smcH ko p"’ ^ find heem, all

make me t’mTfll ^P, prmg heem back*

at the halT-ont ^ Pccg Vater ’ He began to tear again

di':^ust ns Ke^^ ^PPer. Hazel sat choking with nausea and

collected himself

coucctcci himself and made an ejffort.

RETURN AND DEPARTURE 1265

‘Kehaar/ he said, 'Bigwig says you told him you’d come
and help us to get the mothers out of the big warren ’

' 'Ya, ya, I come for you Meester Pigvig, ’e need me for
’elp ’iin Ven ’e dere, ’e talk to me, I not rabbit Ees goot,
ya^’ ^

'Yes, rather It’s the only possible way You’re a good
friend to us, Kehaar ’

Ya, ya, ’elp you for get mudders But now ees dis,
Meester ’Azel Alvays I vant Peeg Vater now - alvays,
alvays Ees hearmg Peeg Vater, vant to fly to Peeg Vater
Now soon you go for get mudders, I ’elp you, ’ow you like
Den, ven you getting mudders, I leave you dere, fly avay,
no come back But I come back anudder time, ya ^ Gome
in autumn, in vinter I come hve ’ere vid you, ya^’

We shall miss you, Kehaar But when you come back
We 11 have a fine warren here, with lots of mothers You’ll
ne^able to feel proud of all you did to help us ’

‘ Ya, vill be so But Meester ’Azel, ven you go ^ I vant ’elp
you but I no vant vait fbr go Peeg Vater Ees hard now for
stay, you know^ Dis vat you do, do heem queek, ya'^’
Bigwig came up the run, put his head out of the hole and
stopped m horror

‘Prith up a tree* ’ he said 'What a fearful smell * Did you
^11 It, Kehaar, or did it die under a stone

'You hke, Meester Pigvig^ I pnng you mce liddle pit, ya^ ’
'Bigwig,’ said Hazel, 'can you go and tell all the others
that we’re setting off at day-break tomorrow^ Holly %vill
look after tlungs here until we get back and Buckthorn,
Strawberry and the farm rabbits arc to stay with him Any-
one else who wants to stay will be perfectly free to do so ’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Bigwig, from the hole ‘I’ll send them
sll up to silflay with Kehaar They’ll go an^^vhcrc you hkc
before a duck can dive ’

PART III EFRAFA

30. A New Journey

An undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is
Company Prospectus of the South Sea Bubble

With the exception of Buckthorn and the addition of Blue-
bell, the rabbits who set off from the southern end of the
beech hanger early the next mormng were those who had
left Sandleford with Hazel five weeks before Hazel had said
nothing more to persuade them, feehng that it would be
better simply to leave things to set in his favour He knew
that they were afraid, for he was afraid himself Indeed, he
jessed that they, hke himself, could not be free from the
thought of Efrafa and its grim Owsla But working against
tms fear was their longing and need to find more does and
the knowledge that there were plenty of does in Efrafa Then
there was their sense of mischief All rabbits love to trespass
^nd steal and when it comes to the pomt very few will
adroit that they are afraid to do so , unless (hke Buckthorn
or Strawberry on this occasion) they know that they are not
fit and that their bodies may let them down in the pinch
Again, m speaking about his secret plan, Hazel had aroused
their curiosity He had hoped that, with Fiver behmd him,
ho could lure them with hints and promises and he had
been right The rabbits trusted him and Fiver, who had got
them out of Sandleford before it was too late, crossed the
Eubome and the common, taken Bigwig out of the wire,
founded the warren on the downs, made an ally of Kehaar
and produced two does against all odds There was no telling
what they would do next But they were evidently up to
something, and since Bigwig and Blackberry seemed to be
confidently m on it, no one was ready to say that he would
rather stay out, especially since Hazel had made it clear that
anyone who wished could remain at home and welcome —

268

EFRAFA

implying that if he was so poor-spirited as to choose to miss
the exploit, they could do without him. Holly, in whom
oyalty was second nature, had said no more to queer the
pitch He accompanied them as far as the end of the wood
with all the cheerfulness he could muster,* only begging
azel, out of heating of the rest, not to under-rate the
anger. Send news by Kehaar when he reaches you,’ he
said, and come back soon.’

Nevertheless, as Silver guided them southwards along
gher ground to the west of the farm, almost all, now that
they were actually committed to the adventure, felt dread
an apprehension They had heard enough about Efrafa to
aunt the stoutest heart. But before reaching it — or where-
ever they were going — they had to expect two days on the
open own. Foxes, stoats, weasels — any of these might be
encountered, and the only recourse would be flight above
ground Their progress was straggling and broken, slower
an t at which Holly had made with his picked band of
ree Rabbits strayed, took alarm, stopped to rest. After a
time Hazel divided them into groups, led by Silver, Bigwig
an hunself. Yet still they moved slowly, like climbers on a

roc - ^e, first some and then others taking their turn to
cross the same piece of groun<J

But at least the cover was good June was moving towards
J y and high summer. Hedgerows and verges were at their
Inn thickest The rabbits sheltered m dim-green,

flowering maqoram and cow-
Spotted hairy-stemmed clumps of
red and blue above their heads:
tim« “'™"ng stalks of yellow tnuUein. Some-

meadow ^°ng open turf^ coloured like a tapestry

theh^ aL 5 centaury and tormentil Because of

vroiind ^ ^ bccausc they were nose-to-

Had the ^ nhead, the way seemed long.

1 , , w journey been made in years gone by, they

inff^crom'"^ onnd the downs far more open, without stand-

hardly

hav hoped to go far unobserved by enemies. But the sheep

A NEW JOURNEY 269

j were long gone and the tractors had ploughed great ex-
^ pauses for wheat and barley The smell of the green, standing
^ com was round them all day The mice were numerous and
so were the kestrels The kestrels were disturbing, but Hazel
^ had been nght when he guessed that a healthy, full-grown
^ rabbit was too large a quarry for them At all events, no
, one was attacked from above

Some tune before lu-Frith, in the heat of the day. Silver
{ loused m a little patch of thorn There was no breeze and
sweet, chrysanthemum-hke smell of
r t e flowenng compositae of dry uplands - corn-chamomile,

» yarrow and tansy As Hazel and Fiver came up and squatted
Gside him, he looked out across the open ground ahead
There, Hazel-rah,’ he said, ‘ that’s the wood that Holly
didn’t like ’

Two or three hundred yards away and directly across their
a belt of trees ran straight across the down, stretching in
each direction as far as they could see They had come to the
ne of the Portway - only intermittently a road ~ which runs
north of Andover, through St Mary Bourne with its bells
^nd streams and watercress beds, through Bradley Wood,
on across the downs and so to Tadley and at last to Sil-
Chester - the Romans’ Calleva Atrebatum Where it crosses
he downs, the hne is marked by Caesar’s Belt, a strip of
'vyoodland as straight as the road, narrow indeed but more
man three miles long In this hot noon-day the trees of the
elt were looped and netted with darkest shadow The sun
^y outside, the shadows inside the trees All was still, save
or the grasshoppers and the falling finch-song of the yellow-
hammer on the thorn Hazel looked steadily for a long time,
istenmg with raised ears and wrinkling his nose in the
^J^niovmg air

1 can’t see anything wrong with it,’ he said at last * Can
you, Fiver

No,’ replied Fiver * Holly thought it was a strange kind of
'Wood and so it is, but tliere don’t seem to be any men there
^1 the same, someone ought to go and make sure, I suppose
Shall I?’ ^

efrafa

270

The thud group had come up while Hazel had been
gazing at t e Belt, and now all the rabbits were cither nib-
wing quietly or resting, with cars laid flat, in the light green
sun-and-shade of the thorn thicket.

Is Bigwig there asked Hazel.

morning Bigwig had seemed unlike him-
pmoccupied, \\dth little attention for what
around him. If his courage had not been

frJrnn- might huvc been thought that he was

mg nervous. Durina onp. lonn- t,o. 4 r>rrrr^

at 7 rV.T Fiver and Blackberry and
thoup-k R ^ Bipkin that it sounded for ail the world as
where ’ Were being reassured. ‘Fighting, yes, any-

I still reckon that tins
renlied someone else’s line than mine.’ ‘No,*

remember^ th ’

depends on ^^^Fe farm raid was. Everything

him headdi^ realizing that Bluebell could hear

to^it used to thinking about it and try

Now he- / ^ hedgerow to collect his group.

flowering^this'^S Md'i? ‘"‘"“P of mugwort and

‘What do iro Jomed Hazel under the thorn.

‘ W of abruptly

hke to ffo and h ^swered Hazel, ‘would you

aoy “atfor“ en^''" ^ “ *ose trees: and if you find

would you and tt, bke that, just chase them off,

* Have YOU fTxr^tri ^to^FPed ^’^ay, Hazel said to Silver,
we inside thej range Patrols go out^ Are

I untrtaSt the ^

pushing sort of canf^, rip to the patrol. Under a

beheve ’ F ^ patrol may go out a long way, I

I see,’ said Hazel. ‘Well t sj. . 1

if It can possibly be hoWa ’ ^ ^ r ^ meet a patrol

must get back to Efrafa^ mu ^ °ne of them

J. nat s one reason why I brought

A NEW JOURNEY 27I

SO many of us But by way of avoiding them, I’m going to
try to make use of tins wood Perhaps they don’t fancy it
any more than Holly did ’

‘But surely it doesn’t run the way we want to go^’ said
Silver

‘We’re not going to Efrafa, though,’ said Hazel ‘We’re
going to find somewhere to hide, as near to it as we can
safely get Any ideas ^ ’

‘ Only that it’s terribly dangerous, Hazehrah,’ said
Silver ‘You canH get near Efrafa safely and I don’t know/
how you can begin to look for somewhere to hide And then
the patrol - if there is one - they’ll be cunning brutes
They rmght very well spot us and not show themselves at
all ~ simply go and report ’

‘Well, here comes Bigwig back again, ’ said Hazel ‘ Is it all
right, Bigwig‘s Good - let’s get them into the wood and go
down the length of it a little way Then we must slip out on
the other side and make sure that Kehaar finds us He’s
coming to look for us this afternoon and at all costs we
mustn’t miss him ’

Less than half a mile to the west, they came upon a
spinney adjoining the southern edge of Caesar’s Belt To the
west again was a shallow, dry downland combe, perhaps
four hundred yards across and overgrown with weeds and
rough, yellowing summer tussocks There, well before sun-
set, Kehaar, flying westwards down the Belt, spotted the
rabbits lying up, all among the nettles and goose-grass He
sailed down and alighted near Hazel and Fiver

‘ How’s Holly ^ ’ asked Hazel

‘ ’E sad,’ said Kehaar ‘ ’E say you no come back ’ Then
he added, ‘ Mees Glover, she ready for mudder ’

‘That’s good,’ said Hazel ‘Is anyone domg anythmg
about it^’

‘Ya, ya, ecs all to fight ’

‘ Oh well, I suppose it’ll sort itself out ’

‘Vat you do now, Mees ter ’AzeP’

‘This IS where you start helping, Kehaar We need a
place to hide, as near the big warren as we can safely get -

EFRAFA

something.’ enough, perhaps you can suggest

f^u’ 'y°“ '’ant?’

HoneycoS) ®"'ay than Nuthanger Farm is from the
‘EenSv ,!? ^ ‘he limit.’

river, den dey not fed ^u.“‘“

‘Na n^rahVf ^ mean vve sirim across?’
queek.'But ees “^“P’

Ees close to varrenflfe ?ou

Jen"tv"ji^ d°?’

‘What di^ou t!^k?^>“^ri’'^‘l‘^®‘'‘'®hhitsnofindyou.’
*It soiir»ric 'u 4.4. -I * Hazel to Fiver,
to say it, but I thSb I’d hoped for/ said Fiver. ‘I hate
we can, even if it ^ ^^Sht to go straight there as fast as
danger ah the time ^ everyone exhausted. We’re in
it we can rest.’ down, but once we get off

it -- we’4 done Ft beforf- bTj*^ ^

Start lu Inle ? Ther.*!? t, they must feed and rest first,

‘Oh, how r “ ® “fnn ’

'Hu Inle”,’ said "start” and

-tJowcvci* tlip *

after a time everyonTS? ^ peaceful and cool and
Hazel brought S lu ^ sinldng,

pellets and rest. Althono-t. f ^ j under close cover, to chew
and cheerful, he co^d lei twl^ confident

wonder how he could SaS rf -“‘r*® P“^“’

to relax imtil they wer^ ^ thoughts and get them

bered th^ ^ady to set r^fT tt_\'

'' onthF‘f;^ 4 .*-- 1 «g«xiix, xzc rczxiCiu-

ad been forced to rest in ®Ihis leadership, when they

Jeast it was good to sze t^t Enbome. At

cyivereastoughabunrln one was exhausted now:
°‘ ^ blade of grass to choose ^ ®ver raided a garden.

ochoosebetween them, thoughtHazel:

EL-AHRAIRAII AND THE BLACK RABBIT 273

Pipkm and Fiver looked as fresh as Silver and Bigwig Still,
a little entei tamment \\oiild be all to the good and raise
their spirits He was just going to speak up when Acorn
saved him the trouble

‘Will you tell us a story, Dandelion^’ he asked
‘Yes* yes*’ Slid several others ‘Come on* Make it a
stunnci wlulc you’re at it*’

‘All right,’ said Dandelion ‘How about “El-ahraiiah
and the Fox m the Water”

‘Let’s have “The Hole m the Sky”,’ said Hawkbit
‘No, not that,’ said Bigwig suddenly He had spoken veiy
little all the evening and everyone looked round ‘If you’re
going to tell a Storys, there’s only one I ’vvant,’ he went on
‘ “El-ahrairah and the Blick Rabbit of Inlc ” ’

‘Pci haps not that one,’ said Hazel Bigwig rounded on
him, snarling

‘If there’s going to be a story, don’t you tlunk I’ve got as
good a nght as anyone to choose it^’ he asked

Hazel did not reply and after a pause, during which no
one else spoke, Dandelion, with a rather subdued manner,
began

31 The Story of El-ahrairah and the
Black Rabbit of Inle

The power of the night, the press of the storm.

The post of the foe,

Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form.

Yet the strong man must go

Robert Browning Prosptce

‘Sooner or later, every tiling leaks out and animals get to
hear what others think about them Some say that it was
Hufsa who told King Darzin the truth about the trick with
the lettuces Others say that Yona the hedgehog went

EFRAFA

/ T

gossiping in the copses. But however it was, King Darzin got
to know that he had been made a fool when he delivered his
lettuces to the marshes of Kelfazin. He did not call his
soldiers out to fight - not yet. But he made up his mind that
he would find an opportunity to get his own back on El-
ahrairah. El-ahrairah knew this and he warned all his
people to be careful, especially when they went about alone.

Now late one afternoon in February, Rabscuttle led
some of the rabbits out to a rubbish heap on the edge of a
garden, some way away from the warren. The evening
came on cold and misty and well before twilight a fog came
own thick. They set off for home but they got lost: and
t en they had trouble with an owl and became confused
over t oir direction Anyway, Rabscuttle got separated
lom t e others and after wandering about for some time,
tie strayed into the guards’ quarters outside King Darzin’s
city: and they caught ium and took him up to the king.

r\ f chance to spite El-ahrairah. He

scuttle into a special prison-hole and every day he

ftinL* made to work, sometimes in the frost,

tunnelling But El-ahrairah swore he would
dnpc: ®^t somehow. And so he did, for he and two of his

ttip c ^^&ging a tunnel from the wood mto

And m Rabscuttle had been set to work,

down Wl-, ^ came near to the hole in the bank

be diffs-ina 1- been sent. He was supposed to

were^watrt,^ the hole into a store-room and the guards
reached hiTY^^f outside while he worked. But El-ahrairah
and thev be could hear, him scratching in the dark:

through the wood'"'^

an^^i^eed:^ai^^ Harzin, he became very

start a war J a c that this time he would

sSJiersIt u* once and for all. His

Fcnlo* but tfip went to the meadows of

trlct’tX sure'd* rabbit-holes. Some

they met El-ahra’irah and because

and the other rabbits They were not

EL-AHRAIRAH AM) THE BLACK RABBIT 275

used to fighting m narrow places an the dark and they got
bitten and scratched until they ^vcrc glad to come out tail-
first

‘But tlicy didn’t go away they sat outside and waited
Whenever any of tlic rabbits tried to silflay they found their
enemies ready to jump on them King Darzin and his
soldiers couldn’t watch all the holes - there were too many —
but they w ere quick enough to dash off wherever they saw a
rabbit show his nose Vcr>^ soon El-ahrairah’s people found
that it was all tlicy could do to snatch a mouthful or two of
grass - just cnought to keep alive - before tliey had to bolt
underground again El-ahrairah tried every tnck he could
think of, but he couldn’t be nd of King Darzm or get his
o\*m people away The rabbits began to become tiun and
miserable underground and some of them fell ill

‘At last El-ahrairah felt quite desperate and one night,
when he had been nsking his life again and again to bring
down a few mouthfuls of grass for a doe and her family
whose father had been killed the day before, he called out,
“Lord Frith* I w^ould do anything to save my people* I
would drive a bargain with a stoat or a fox - yes, or with the
Black Rabbit oflnld*”

‘Now as soon as he had said this, El-ahrairah realized in
his heart that if there was one creature anywhere who might
have the will and certainly had the power to destroy his
enemies, it was the Black Rabbit of Inlc For he was a rabbit
and yet more powerful than King Darzm a thousand times
over But the thought made El-ahrairah sweat and shudder,
so that he had to crouch down where he was m the run
After a time he went to his own burrow and began to think
of what he had said and what it meant

‘Now as you all know, the Black Rabbit of Inle is fear and
everlasting darkness He ts a rabbit, but he is that cold, bad
dream from which we can only entreat Lord Frith to save
us today and tomorrow When the snare is set m the gap,
the Black Rabbit knows where the peg is driven, and when
the weasel dances, the Black Rabbit is not far off You all
know how some rabbits seem just to throw their hves away

276

EFRAFA

between tw'o jokes and a theft: but the truth is that their
foohshness comes from the Black Rabbit, for it is by his will
that they do not smell the dog or see the gun. The Black
Rabbit biings sickness too. Or again, he will come in the
night and call a rabbit by name : and then that rabbit must
go out to him, even though he may be young and strong to
save himself from any other danger. He goes with the Black
Rabbit and leaves no trace behind. Some say that the Black
Rabbit hates us and wants our destruction But the truth is -
or so they taught me ~ that he too serves Lord Prith and
oes no more than his appointed task — to bring about what
must be. We come into the world and we have to go: but
we do not go merely to serve the turn of one enemy or
anot er. If that were so, we would all be destroyed in a day.

V ^ ^ Rabbit of Inle and only by

wi . And though that will seems hard and bitter to us

all, yet m his way he is our protector, for he knows Fritfrs

promi^ to the rabbits and he will revenge any rabbit who

may chancy to be destroyed without the' consent of himseE

^ game-keeper’s gibbet knows what

,^11 down on elil who think they

will do what they will.

spent the night alone in his burrow and his
tried%rv ^ -^s far as he knew, no rabbit had ever
about- If- ^ ^^d in nund But the more he thought

trance could for hunger and fear and the

more it rabbits face-to-face with death - the

success K ^ T.4 ^hnt there was at least a chance of
his ovni Rabbit and offer him

It uonirl f’ ^ ^ ^ the offer to be accepted.

The Black T? m ticar the Black Rabbit at all.

he mifrht p-et ^ ^^t^ghknot accept his life : yet stiU, perhaps,
c6uM be no cV^ something else. Only, there

v/crc to hr Black Rabbit. If liis people^s safety

'■fc. So unless he'&kTrc ^

thereforG nccH n he would not return. He would

empamon to bring back whatever it was

EL-AHRAIRAH AND THE BLACK RABBIT 277

that was going to overtlirow King Darzin and save the
warren

‘ In the morning, El-alirairah went to find Rabscuttle and
they talked far mto the day Then he called his Owsla fo-
getlxer and told them what he meant to do

‘Later that evemng, in the last of the twihght, the rabbits
came out and attacked King Darzm’s soldiers They fought
very bravely and some of them were killed The enemy
thought they were trying to break out of the warren and did
everything they could to surround them and force them
back into their holes But the truth was that all the fighting
was simply to distract ICing Darzin’s attention and keep
his soldiers busy As darkness set in, El-ahrairah and Rab-
scutde slipped out from the other end of the warren and
made off down the ditch, while the Owsla fell back and
King Darzin’s soldiers jeered at them down the holes As
for Kang Darzin, he sent a message to say that he was ready
to talk to El-ahrairah about terms of surrender

‘ El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle set out on their darkjourney
What way they went I don’t know and no rabbit knows
But I always remember what old Feverfew - d’you remem-
ber him"^ ~ used to say when he told this story “They didn’t
take long,” he said “They took no time at all No They
limped and stumbled through a bad dream to that terrible
place they were bound for Where they were travelling, the
sun and moon mean nothing and wmter and summer less
But you will never know” - and then he used to look all
round at us - “you will never know and neither do I, how
far El-ahrairah went on his journey into the dark You see
the top of a great stone sticking out of the ground How far
IS It to the middle^ Spht the stone Then you’ll know ”

‘At last they came to a high place where there was no
grass They scrambled upwards, over splinters of slate,
among grey rocks bigger than sheep Mist and icy rain
swirled about them and there was no sound but the trickling
of water and sometimes, from far above, the cry of some
great, evil bird on the wing And these sounds echoed, for
they were between black chfls of stone, taller than the tidiest

278

EFRAFA

trees The snow lay in patches all about, for the sun never

s one to melt it. The moss was slippery and whenever they

pus le out a pebble, it rattled down and down behind them

m the gullies. But El-ahrairah knew the way and on he

went, until the mist grew so thick that they could see

nothing. Then they kept close to the cliff and little by

i e, ^ they went, it overhung them imtil it made a dark

100 a ove their backs. Where the cliff ended was the

j tunnel, like a huge rabbit hole. In the freezing

om and silence, El-ahrairah stamped and flashed his tail to

t-im And then, as they were about to go into the

what they had thought, in the

^ the rock was not rock. It was the

rolfl II X close beside them, still as lichen and

cold as the stone.’

‘T staring into the dusk and trembling,

I don t like this story. I know I’m not brave

one = Tw said Fiver, ‘you’re not the only

tached X In ^ i^uiself seemed composed and even de-

rabb^’i^^'"^ '"f be said for any other

this audience: but Pipkm was hardly to realize

catchine- a bit and watch the spiders

tf r"" Kver. ‘I think I cL re-

tfos wav^ sf n . f ^ - it must be somewhere

overloL cn >>'= P'Pbin out into the

tion they han't n’ turned to make sure of the direc-

uncertain wheth^hTe mmi!" “ ““^^^on hesitated,

think don’t leave anything out ’

be known (said fia ^ *be truth could

in that coX whte'El

and we do not "R 1 -^f'S^hrairah went of his own accord
aware of the Black *bey first became

needs thermust ^e tunnel - as

tbey did although thevTad^ "°'^bere else to run And tWs
him and all depended on tn”'" T P^TOse to encounter
chfTcrcntlv from r their doing so. They did no

ently from all of us; and the end too, was no Afferent,

EL-AHRAIRAH AND THE BLACK RABBIT 279

for when they had done slipping and tripping and falling
along the tunnel, they found themselves in a vast, stone
burrow All was of stone the Black Rabbit had dug it out
of the mountain with his claws And there they found,
waiting for them, lum from whom they had fled There
were others in that burrow also — shadows without sound or
smell The Black Rabbit has his Owsla too, you know I
would not care to meet them

‘The Black Rabbit spoke with the voice of water that falls
into pools m echoing places in the dark

‘ “ El-alirairah, why have you come here^”

‘ “I have come for my people/’ whispered El-alirairah
‘The Black Rabbit smelt as clean as last year’s bones and
m the dark El-ahrairah could see his eyes, for they were
red with a hght that gave no light

‘ “You are a stranger here, El-ahrairah,” said the Black
Rabbit “You are alive ’’

‘ “My lord,” replied El-ahrairah, “I have come to give
you my life My hfe for my people ”

‘The Black Rabbit drew lus claws along the floor
‘ “Bargains, bargains, El-ahrairah,” he said “There is
not a day or a night but a doe offers her life for her kittens,
or some honest captain of Owsla his hfe for his Chief
Rabbit’s Sometimes it is taken, sometimes it is not But
there is no bargain, for here, what is, is what must
be ”

‘El-ahrairah was silent But he thought, “Perhaps I can
trick him into taking my life He would keep a promise, as
Prince Rainbow kept his ”

‘ “You are my guest, El-ahrairah,” said the Black Rabbit
Stay in my burrow as long as you wish You may sleep
here And you may eat here, and they are few indeed who
can do as much Let him eat,” he said to the Owsla

‘ “We will not eat, my lord,” said El-ahrairah, for he
knew that if he ate the food which they gave lum m that
burrow, his secret thoughts would become plam and there
would be an end of tricks

* “Then at least we must entertam you,’ said the Black

28 o

EFRAFA

Rabbit ‘You must feel at home, El-ahrairah, and make
yourself comfortable Come, let us play bob-stones.” *

‘ “Very well,” said El-ahrairah, “and if I win, my lord,
perhaps you will be so good as to accept my life in return
for my people’s safety.’

“‘I will,” said the Black Rabbit. “But if I win, El-

ahrairah, you shall give me both your tail and your whis-
kers ”

The stones were brought and El-ahrairah sat down in

the cold and the echoes to play against the Black Rabbit of

n e Now as you may suppose, El-ahrairah knew how to

p ay ob-stones He could play as well as any rabbit that

^ cast. But there - m that dreadful place, with

e ack Rabbit s eyes upon him and the Owsla who made

no sound - try as he would, his wits deserted him and even

e ore c cast, he felt that the Black Rabbit knew what was

own e Black Rabbit showed nfever the least haste He

F the snow falls, without sound or change, until at

rairah s spirit failed him and he knew that he
could not win

to the Owsla, El-ahrairah,”
tn 1 ^ ^ Rabbit 5 ^^and they will show you a burrow

T -iA shall return tomorrow and if you are still here

‘ mu to leave whenever you wish ”

tni) n 9^^^^ took El-ahrairah away and cut off his

<;p]f Ti ^ his whiskers and when he came to him-

wuVi F ^ with Rabscuttle in a hollow stone burrow,
with an opemng to the mountain outside

For FrifU j^^^tcr, said Rabscuttle, “what will you do now ^

the dark away I can feel for both of us in

Gcrtamly not, ’ said El-ahrairah. He still hoped to get

stones, fragn^Fts rabbits It is played with small

hind of gambling- nn lu ' Fundamentally it is a very simple

the ground's - Evens' A ‘cast' ofsLes on

hazard some sort of surm ^ P ® paw. The opponent must then

rough or smooth ®^°ut its nature, e g one or two, light or

EL-AHRAIRAH AKD THE BLACK RABBIT sSl

what he wanted from the Black Rabbit somehow and he
felt sure that they had been put mto this burrow so that they
would be tempted to steal away ‘^Certainly not I can make
do very well with some willow-herb and clematis Go out
and get some^ Rabscuttle, but make sure you come back
before tomorrow evemng You had better try to bring some
food, too, if you can

‘Rabscuttle went out as he was told and El-ahrairah was
left alone He slept very httle, partly for the pain and partly
for the fear that never left him, but chiefly because he was
still searching for some tnck that would serve his turn The
next day Rabscuttle returned with some pieces of turnip and
after El-ahrairah had eaten them, Rabscuttle helped him to
patch himself up with a grey tail and whiskers, made from
the winter drift of clematis and ragwort In the evcnmg he
went to meet the Black Rabbit as though notlung had
happened

‘ “Well, El-ahrairah,” said the Black Rabbit — and he
did not wrinkle his nose up and down when he smffed, but
thrust It forward, as a dog does - “my burrow cannot be
what you are used to but perhaps you have done your best
to make yourself comfortable^”

‘ “I have, my lord,” said El-ahrairah “I am glad that
you allow me to stay ”

‘ “Perhaps wc will not play bob-stones tonight,” said the
Black Rabbit “You must understand, El-ahrairah, that I
have no wish to make you suffer I am not one of the Tliou-
sand I repeat, you may stay or leave as you please But if
you are going to remain, perhaps you would care to hear a
Storys and to tell one yourself, if you like ”

* “ Certainly, my lord,” said El-ahrairah, “And if I can
tell a story as good as yours, perhaps you will accept my life
and grant the safety of my people ”

‘ “I will,” said the Black Rabbit “But ifnot, El-ahrairah,
you w’lll have to forfeit > our cars ” He waited to sec whether
El-ahmrah w^ould refuse the wngcr, but he did not
*Thcn the Black Rabbit told such a talc of fear and dark-
less as froze the hearts of Rabsculdc and El-ahrairah where

EFRAFA

282

they crouched on the rock, for they knew that every word
was true Their wits turned. They seemed to be plunged in
icy clouds that numbed their senses; and the Black Rabbit s
story crept into their hearts like a worm into a nut, leaving
them shrivelled and empty. When at last that terrible story
was ended, El-ahrairah tried to speak. But he could not
collect his thoughts and he stammered and ran about the
floor, like a mouse when the hawk glides low. The Black
Rabbit waited silently, with no sign of impatience. At last it
was clear that there would be no story from El-ahrairah,
and the Owsla took him and put him into 'a deep sleep :
and when he woke, his ears were gone and only Rabscuttle
was beside him in the stone burrow, crymg like a Idtten.

* “Oh, master,” said Rabscuttle, “what good can this
suffering bring ^ For the sake of Lord Frith and the green
grass, let me take you home.”

“Nonsense,” said El-ahrairah “Go out and get me two
good, big dock-leaves They will do very well for ears ”

‘ “They will wither, master,” said Rabscuttle, “and I am
withered now.”

‘ “They will last long enough,” said El-ahrairah grimly?
for what I have to do But I cannot find the way.”
‘When Rabscuttle was gone, El-ahrairah forced himself
to tlunk clearly The Black Rabbit would not accept his life.
Also, it was plain that he himself would never be able to
win any sort of wager against him: he might as well try to
run a race across a sheet of ice But if the Black Rabbit did
not hate him, why did he inflict these sufferings upon him^
To destroy his courage and make him give up and go away.
But why not simply send him away'^ And why wait, before
hurting him, till he himself proposed a wager and lost it^
The answer came to him suddenly These shadows had no
power either to send him away or to hurt him, except with
his own consent They would not help him, no. They would
seek possession of his will and break it if they could But
supposing that he could find among them something that

vould save his people, could they stop him from talang it
awav?

EL-AHRAIRAH AND THE BLACK RABBIT 283

‘Wlien Rabscuttle came backj he helped El-ahrairah to
disguise his horrible, maimed head with two dock-leaves m
place of ears and after a wlule they slept But El-alirairah
kept dreaming of his starving rabbits waiting in the runs to
push back King Darzin’s soldiers and placing all their hopes
on him and at last he woke, cold and cramped, and
wandered out into the runs of the stone warrSn As he limped
along, trailing the dock-leaves on either side of his head -
for he could not raise or move them like the ears he had
lost “ he came to a place from which several narrow runs
led down deeper into the ground and here he found two of
the ghastly, shadowy Owsla moving about some dark
business of their own They turned and stared, to make
him afraid, but El-alirairah was past being afraid and he
stared back at them, wondermg what they had m mind to
persuade lum to lose

‘ “Turn back, El-ahrairah/’ said one at last “You have
no business here, in the pit You are alive, and have suffered
much already ”

‘ “Not as much as my people,” replied El-ahrairah

‘ “ There is enough suffenng here for a thousand ^va^ ens,”
said the shadow “Do not be stubborn, El-ahrairah In
these holes he all the plagues and diseases that come to
rabbits - fever and mange and the sickness of tlic bowels
And here, too, in this nearest hole, lies the wlute blindness,
that sends creatures hobbling out to die in tlie fields, where
even the elil will not touch their rottihg bodies This is our
task, to sec that all these are ready for the use of Inic-rah
Tor what is, is what must be ”

‘Then El-alirairah knew that he must give himself no
time to think He pretended to go back, but suddenly turned,
rushed upon the shadows and plunged into the nearest hole
faster than a raindrop into the ground And there he lay,
while the shadows flickered and gibbered about the en-
trance, foi they had no power to mo\ c him, except by fear
After a time they went away and El-ahrairah was left alone,
^^ondcrlng whether he would be able to reach King Darzin’s
'^nnv in time wathout tlic use of whisl ers or cars

2^4 EFRAFA

At last, when he was sure that he must have stayed in the
hole long enough to be infected, El-ahrairah came out and
began to make his way back along the run. He did not know
soon the disease would appear or how long he would
ta e to die, but plainly he ought to return as quickly as he
CO d - if possible, before there was any sign of illness on
him. Without going near Rabscuttle, he must tell him to
urry ahead, reach the rabbits in the warren and warn
t ^ em to block all the holes and stay inside until King Dar-
zm s army was destroyed.

* into a stone in the dark, for he was shiver-

mg an feverish and in any case he could feel little or nothing
*^1 ^ whiskers. At that moment a quiet voice said,

Jil-ahrairah, where are you going? » He had heard notliing,
ccT that the Black Rabbit was beside him.

T home, my lord,” he replied. “You said

that I might go when I wished.”

purpose, El-ahrairah,” said the Black

Kabbit. "What IS it?”

"T nw have been in the pit, my lord,” answered El-ahrairah.

save white blindness and I am going to

save my people by destroying the enemy.”

how tht R^hhit, “do you know

now the white blindness is carried ? ”

notliing^^^^ misgiving seized upon El-ahrairah. He said

Black rabbits’ ears,” said the

those of his com from the ears of a sick rabbit to

aS fll wm El-ahrairah, you have no ears

nor carry the whitfbhntes

age were glne^Hem^oth ^^^^ngth and cour-

his back lepsdmo-o- a gi'ound. He tried to move, but

He scuffled and® henkTftffl''- "E’

‘ “El-nliY-e.; I ss ^ ^ml m the silence.

cold warren* ? Black Rabbit at last, “this is a

for waiTa hearts and ? living and no place at all

hearts and brave spirits. You are a nuisance to me.

EL-AHRAIRAH AND THE BLACK RABBIT 285

Gk> home I myself will save your people Do not have the
impertinence to ask me when There is no time here They
are already saved ’’

Tn that moment, while King Darzm and his soldiers
were still jeermg down the holes of the warren, confusion
and terror came upon them in the falhng darkness The
fields seemed full of huge rabbits with red eyes, stalking
among the thistles They turned and fled They vanished m
the mght, and that is why no rabbit who tells the tales of
El-ahrairah can say what kind of creatures they weie or
what they looked like Not one of them has ever been seen,
from that day to this

* When at last El-alirairah was able to rise to his feet, the
Black Rabbit was gone and Rabscuttle was coming down
the run, looking for him Together they went out to the
mountainside and made their way down the stone-ratthng
gully m the mist They did not know where they were
going, except that they were going away from the Black
Rabbit’s warren But after a time it became plain tliat
Ebahrairah was ill from shock and exhaustion Rabscuttle
dug a scrape and there they stayed for several days

* Later, when El-ahrairah began to get better, they wan-
dered on, but they could not find their way back They
were confused in their wits and had to beg help and shelter
of other animals whom they met Their journey home
lasted three months and many adventures they had Some
of these, as you know, are stories m themselves Once they
lived with a lendn and found pheasants’ eggs for lum m the
wood And once they barely escaped from the middle of a
hay-field when the hay was cutting All the time, Rabscuttle
looked after El-ahrairah, brought lum fresh dock-leaves and
kept the flies from his wounds until they healed

‘At last, one day, they came back to the %varren It was
cvcmng, and as die sun stretched out all the hilk, they
could see any number of rabbits at silflay, mbbling m the
grass and playing over the ant-heaps They stopped at the
top of the field, sniffing the gorsc and herb-robert on the
^vlnd

ErRAtA

‘ ‘n¥dl, tlicy look all jjghi/’ said El-ahiaiia!i. “A healthy
ot, leally* Let’s just slip in quietly and see wJietlicr we can
nnd one or two of the Owsla captains underground. We
don’t want a lot of fuss ”

They made then tvay along the hedgerow, but could not
a together get their bcai mgs, because apparently the warren
had giown biggei and there wcie more liolcs than before,
3ot 1 in the bank and in the held. They stopped to speak to

a group of smart y oung buclcs and docs sitting under the
elder bloom.

' ‘‘We want to find Loosestiifc,” said Rabscuttic. “Can
you tell us where his burrow is?”

“A ^ heard of jiim,” answcicd one of the bucks

you sure he’s m this warren?”

Unless he’s dead,” said Rabscuttle “But surely you
niust have heard of Captain Loosestrife ^ He was an officer

Ox the Owsl^ in the fighting.’^

‘ asked another buck

scuttle ^ fighting against King Darzm,” repHed Rab-

^ favour, old fellow, will you?” said the
‘ fighting - I wasn’t born when it finished ”

said Rabscuttle captains who were ? ”

“WhL'Tw'^wU them,” said the buck,

to know about them?’ old bunch? What do we want

, did,” said Rabscuttle.

aU fimshed'Tow" Tto

‘ “ If this Lnncjpct r r nothing to do with us ”

his business,” said one of ^

one of the does “It’s not our business, K

“ Shameful reallv liking,’’ said another doe

be any, would there ^ fought m wars there wouldn^t

that ” ®“‘ y°u can’t get old rabbits to see

‘ father was in it,- ^^td the

second buck. “He gets

EL-AHRAIRAH AND THE BLACK RABBIT 287

on about it sometimes I always go out quick ‘They did
this and then we did that’ and all that caper “Makes you
curl up, honest Poor old geezer, you’d think he’d want to
forget about it I reckon he makes half of it up And where
did it get him, tell me that?”

‘ “If you don’t mmd waiting a little while, sir,” said a
third buck to El-alirairah, “I’ll go and see if I can find
Captain Loosestrife for you I don’t actually know hint
myself, but then it’s rather a big warren ”

‘ “That’s good of you,” said El-ahrairah, “but I think
I’ve got my bearings now and I can manage by myself”
^El-ahrairah went along the hedgerow to the wood and
sat alone under a nut-bush, loolung out across the fields As
the light began to fail, he suddenly realized that Lord Frith
was close beside him, among the leaves

‘ “Are you angry, El-ahrairah?” asked Lord Frith
‘ “No, my lord,” replied El-ahrairah, “I am not angry
But I have learned that with creatures one loves, suffermg
is not the only tlung for which one may pity them A rabbit
who does not loiow when a gift has made him safe is poorer
than a slug, even though he may think otherwise himself”

‘ “Wisdom is found on the desolate lullside, El-ahrairah,
where none comes to feed, and the stony bank where the
rabbit scratches a hole m vain But speaking of gifts, I have
brought a few trifles for you A pair of ears, a tail and some
whiskers You may find the ears slightly strange at first I
put a little starlight in them, but it is really qmte famt not
enough, I am sure, to give away a clever thief like you Ah,
there is Rabscuttle coming back Good, I have somethmg
^ for him too Shall we ’

TdazeD HazeWah*’ It was Pipkin’s voice from behind a
clumb of burdock on the edge of the little circle of listeners
There’s a fox coming up the combe * ’

32. Across the Iron Road

Esprit dc rivalitd ct de mdsmtclligcncc qui prdserva plus d’unc fois
raim^e anglaise d’une dcfaite.

General Jourdan MCmoircs

Some people have the idea that rabbits spend a good deal
of their time running away from foxes. It is ti'uc that every
rabbit fears the fox and will bolt if it smells one. But many
rabbits go all their lives without seeing a fox and probably
only a few actually fall victim to an enemy who smells
strongly and cannot run as fast as they can. A fox trying to
catch a rabbit usually creeps upwind under cover — perhaps
through a patch of woodland to the edge. Then, ^ be
succeeds in getting close to where the rabbits are at silflay
along the bank or in the field, he lies still and watches his
chance for a quick snatch. Tt is said that sometimes he
fascinates them, as the weasel does, by rolling and playing
in the open, coming closer little by little until he can make
a grab However this may be, it is certain that no fox
hunts rabbits by going openly up a combe at sunset.

Neither Hazel nor any of the rabbits who had been listen-
ing to Dandelion’s story had ever seen a fox. Nevertheless,
they knew that a fox in the open, plain to be seen, is not
dangerous as long as it is spotted in time Hazel realized
that he had been careless to allow everyone to gather round
Dai^elion and to have failed to post even one sentry. What
wmd there was, was from the north-east and the fox, coming
the combe from the west, might have broken in upon
^ Y^thout warning But from this danger they had been
saved by Fiver and Pipkifi going into the open Even in his
as 1 of alarm as Pipkin spoke, it crossed Hazel’s mind that
E iver, no doubt reluctant to advise him in front of the others,
a probably seized the opportunity provided by Pipkin’s
fear to post himself as a sentry.

ACROSS THE IRON ROAD 289

Hazel thought quickly If the fox were not too close, all
they had to do was run There was woodland near-by and
they could vanish into it, keeping more or less together, and
simply continue on their way He pushed through the
burdocks

'How close IS it^’ he asked 'And where’s Fiver
'I’m here/ rephed Fiver, from a few yards away He was
squatting under the long briars of a dog-rose and did not
turn his head as Hazel came up beside him 'And there’s the
fox/ he added Hazel followed his gaze

The rough, weed-covered ground of the combe sloped
away below them, a long dip bounded on the north by
Caesar’s Belt The last of the settmg sun shone straight up it
through a break in the trees The fox was below them and
still some way off Although it was almost directly downwind
and therefore must be able to smell them, it did not look as
though It were particularly interested in rabbits It was
trotting steadily up the combe like a dog, traihng its white-
tipped brush In colour it was sandy brown, with dark legs
and ears Even now, though obviously not hunting, it had
a crafty, predatory look that made the watchers among tlie
dog-roses shiver As it passed behind a patch of thistles and
disappeared from view, Hazel and Fiver returned to the
others

‘ Come on/ said Hazel ‘ If you’ve never seen a fox don’t
bother to go and look now Just follow me ’

< He was about to lead the way up the south side of the
combe, when suddenly a rabbit shouldered him roughly
aside, pushed past Fiver and was gone into the open Hazel
stopped and looked round m amazement
was that"^’ he asked

'Bigwig,* answered Fiver, staring

Together they went quickly back to the briars and once
more looked mto the combe Bigwig, in full view, was
loping wanly downliill, straight towards the fox Tliey
watched him aghast He drew near, but still the fox paid no
attention

'Hazel/ said Silver from belund, 'shall I - ?*

efrafa

290

you^° quickly. ‘Keep still, all of

'^‘Stance the fox saw the approach-
trof frtvn ^ paused for a moraent and then continued to
anr? h^rr almost upon him before Bigwig turned

the r Rorth slope of the combe towards

foilowe?

‘Whafs he up to?» muttered Blackberiy.

‘Bm?5J^ ^ suppose,’ replied Fiver,

that ’ ^ R t have to ! We should have got away without

been so^an^y.'? Hazel. ‘I don’t know when I’ve

tance aw^u quickened its pace and was now some dis-
The sun H appeared to be overtaking Bigtvig.

maL h"m out as h “ ^‘^ht they could just

peared and tt. c r undergrowth. He disap-

quiet. Then h several moments all was

combe, there darkening, empty

rabbit. agomzing squeal of a stricken

turned to Blackberry, stamping. Pipkin

now.’ HazeP’ asked Silver. ‘We can’t help him

running suddenly broke out of the trees,

was ahve he had r before they could grasp that he

combe in a I 'L Ha «PPcr%Iope of the

d single dash and holm/}

‘ But what"- what ' ’

bewildennent. wounded ^ ’ asked BluebeU ii

‘Ym can wS^umriS''^“j’.^“’^

^ngry tone. 'You’ve dor.f^ ^ ready,’ said Hazel in a cold,
hke a complete fool yourself and acted

Fie turned and, although tongue and sit down!’

& as rapidly becoming too dark

ACROSS THE IRON ROAD 29I

to see any distance, made as though he were still loolang
out acioss the combe Belnnd Inm, the rabbits fidgeted
nervously Several had begun to feel a dream-liLe sense of
umeahty The long day above ground, the close, over-
grown combe, the frightening story in which they had been
absorbed, the sudden appearance of the fox, the shock of
Bigwig’s inexplicable adventure - all these, following one
upon anotlier, had flooded their spirits and left them dull
and bemused

‘Get them out, Hazel,’ wluspered Fiver, ‘before they all
go tharn ’ Hazel turned at once

‘Well, no fox,’ he said cheeifully ‘It’s gone and we’ll go
too For goodness’ sake keep close together, because if any-
one gets lost in the dark we may not find him again And
remember, if we come upon any strange rabbits, you’re to
attack them at once and ask questions afterwards ’

They skirted the side of the wood that lay along the
southern edge of the combe and then, in ones and twos,
shpped across the empty road beyond Little by little their
spirits cleared They found themselves m open farmland -
indeed, they could both smell and hear the farm, not far
away on the evemng side - and the going was easy smooth,
wide pasture fields, sloping gently downhill and divided not
by hedges but by broad, low banks, each as wide as a lane
and overgrown with elder, dog-wood and spindle It was
true rabbit country, reassuring after the Belt and the tangled,
goose-grassed combe, and when they had covered a good
distance over tlie turf ~ halting continually to listen and
smfT and running, now one and now another, fiom each
piece of cover to the next - Hazel felt safe in giving them a
rest As soon as he had sent out Speedwell and Hawkbit as
sentries, he led Big\s ig to one side

‘ I’m angry with you,’ he said ' You’re the one rabbit we’re
not going to be able to do ^vithout and you have to go and
run a silly risk lil^e that It wasn’t necessary and it wasn’t
c\ cn clever Wiat \v ere you up to ^ ’

‘I’m afraid I just lost my head, Hazel,’ rephed Bigivig
‘I’ve been stmng up all day, thinking about this business

efrafa

fomSf ^ ^

thought if I coulrl you hnow, fight or run a jisk. I

so worried about iti ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ wouldn’t feei

more, it worked -

have thrown youThfe^a^ ^?r *. duffer, you might

had Don’t trv it . '"^^'^^^^otliing- we all thought you
overything-’s o-nmo- there’s a good chap. You know

happened in^the^tree* m! °rf J°“' whatever

Were all right?’ * you cry hke that, if you

and bad too, Dm ^Slrf t queer, what happened,

trees, you see i-i ^ Somg to lose the homba in the
undergrowt^and TM I went into the
to run really fast hmping and was starting

towards me asifth^ strangers. They were coining

Of course, I didn’t hJ^ were going out into the open combe,
they seemed to be TniJr 77^^ ^ good look at them, but

I dashed up to them^ out - runl” I said as

One of them said “Vn did was try to stop me.

and then he Rot riP-bf^^ ^ something like that,

I had to - and raced off ^ knocked him down -

dreadful squealing* Of i- ^ r thing I heard was this

I got clear of the trpp*? o ^ ^ went even faster then and

‘So the homba St ‘o you.’

‘It must have

‘hough I didn’t mean t„ u “ "Sht on to them, even
happened.’ ‘ ^ never saw what actually

‘IV^no m“”® °‘hors?’

T no idea. . .

suppose ’

‘I’vp me others^’

X ve no idp;^

'I see ’ have nm T .

Jhe b ’ Haae, tho«fy. ■ wk, pS?,:; it’s aU for

u the proper time - thpr more fancy tricks

~ •• YWd

... you in good

At that moment Silver cam,.

r came up to them.

ACROSS THE IRON ROAD 293

*Hazel/ he said, *IVe just realized where we are and it’s
a lot too close to Efrafa I thinh we ought to make off as soon
as we can ’

‘I want to go right round Efrafa - wide,’ said Hazel 'Do
you think you can find the way to that iron road Holly told
us about

'I tlunk so,’ rephed Silver 'But we can’t make too big a
circle or they’ll be completely exhausted I can’t say I know
the way, but I can tell the direction all right ’

‘Well, we’ll just have to take the risk,’ said Hazel ‘ If only
we can get there by early morning, they can rest at the other
end ’

They met with no more adventures that night, moving
quietly along the edges of the fields under the dim light of
a quarter-moon The half- darkness was full of sounds and
movement Once Acorn put up a plover, which flew round
them, calling shrilly, until at length they crossed a bank and
left It behind Soon after, somewhere near them, they heard
the unceasing bubbling of a mght-jar, a peaceful sound,
without menace, which died gradually away as they pushed
on And once they heard a corncrake calhng as it crept
among the long grass of a path verge (It makes a sound
like a human finger-nail drawn down the teeth of a comb)
But elil they met none and although they were continually
on the watch for signs of an Efrafan patrol, they saw nothing
but mice, and a few hedgehogs hunting for slugs along the
ditches

At last, as the first lark rose towards the hght that was
still far up in the sky, Silver, his pale fur sodden dark with
dew, came hmpmg back to where Hazel was encouraging
Bluebell and Pipkm

‘You can pluck up your spirits, Bluebell,’ he said ‘ I thmk
we’re close to the iron road ’

I wouldn’t care about my spirits,’ said Bluebell, ‘if my
legs weren’t so tired Slugs are lucky not to have legs I think
I’ll be a slug *

‘Well, I’m a hedgehog,’ said Hazel, ‘so you’d better get
on^*

EFRAFA

294

‘You’re not,’ replied Bluebell. ‘You haven’t enough
fleas Now slugs don’t have fleas, either. How comforting
to be a slug, among the dandelions so snug

‘And feel the blackbird’s sudden tug,’ said Hazel. ‘All
right, Silver, we’re coming. But where is the iron road?
Holly said a steep, overgrown bank. I can’t make out any-
thing like that ’

‘No, that’s away up by Efrafa Down here, it runs in a
sort of combe of its own Can’t you smell if?’

Hazel sniffed In the cool damp, he picked up at once the
unnatural smells of metal, coal-smoke and oil. They went
forward and m a very short time found themselves looking
down from among the bushes and undergrowth on the edge
of the railway cutting All was quiet, but as they paused at the
top of the bank, a tussling pack of six or seven sparrows
flew down to the line and began to peck about between the
sleepers Somehow, the sight was reassuring.

‘Are we to cross, Hazel-rah?’ asked Blackberry.

Yes,’ said Hazel, ‘at once Put it between us and Efrafa i
then we’ll feed ’

They went rather hesitantly down into the cutting, half-
expecting the fiery, thundering angel of Frith to appear out
of the twilight but the silence remained unbroken Soon
they were all feeding m the meadow beyond, too tired to
pay attention to concealment or to anything but the ease
of resting their legs and nibbhng the grass

From above the larches Kehaar sailed down among them?
alighted and folded his long, pale-grey wings.

^Meester Azel, vat you do? You no stay ’ere?’

They re tired out, Kehaar They’ve got to - have a

Ees not to rest ’ere Ees rabbits come ’

^Yes, but not just yet We can -’

^Ya, ya, ees coming for find you* Ees close*’

Oh, curse these confounded patrols ! ’ cried Hazel ‘ Come
on, a of you, get down the field into that wood* Yes, you
I^pdwell, unless you want to have your ears chewed
off in Efrafa. Come on, move * ’

ACROSS THE IRON ROAD

295

They tottered over the pasture to the woodland beyond
and lay completely exhausted on flat, bare ground under
fir trees Hazel and Fiver consulted Kehaar again

‘It’s no good expectmg them to go any farther, Kehaar/
said Hazel ‘They’ve been going all night, you know
We’ll have to sleep here today Did you actually see a
patroP’

‘ Ya, ya, come all along by udder side iron road Yoost in
time you go ’

‘Well, then, you saved us But look, Kehaar, could you
go and see where they are now^ If they’re gone, I’m going
to tell our lot to go to sleep - not that they need telling
look at them ^ ’

Kehaar returned with the news that the Efrafan patrol
had turned back without crossing the iron road Then he
offered to keep watch himself until the evemng and Hazel,
greatly relieved, at once told the rabbits to sleep One or
two had already fallen asleep, lying on their sides on the
open ground Hazel wondered whether he ought to wake
them and tell them to get under thicker cover, but as he
was thinking about it he fell asleep himself

The day came on hot and still Among the trees the wood-
pigeons called drowsily and from time to time a late cuckoo
stammered In the fields, notlnng moved except the con-
stantly-swishing tails of the cows gathered flank to flank in
the shade

33* The Great River

iuIl-bod?f'i^^I ^ n\cr before - this sleek, sinuous,

gieams and sparkles, rustic and sui, 1, chatter and bubblcT

Kennctli Grahatne 77ie Wind tn the Willows

arounH^^^^ started tip at once, for the aa

huntine iS sharp ones of some creature

of Sarm n ^ut could see no signs

awake^nrl f ^““e- Several of the rabbits were already
thafthe el! ^ ‘f“<= wood. He realized

too small and startling though they were, were

^^bove hi<! b<^c»d A bind of elii. They came from

again withoS ,o.!!wal-"l*''™®^ *"

Hazel could sense thn? fi foUo^ved by another,

flies and moths on

cries as they flew A To uttering their minute

them, but to the rabhit^Tb ^ would hardly have heard
side the wood the

shine, but among the Br^t^ st^^J bright with evening sun-
bats were comirnf a tod ^ jight was dusky and here the
scent of the th thickly. Mixed with the resinous

fragrant, yet sharto another smell, strong and

bind unknown to Hazel of flowers, but of some

edge of the wood Tt * followed it to its source at the
soapwort growino- ci several thick patches of

the plants®^^e® ^ ™S ‘fl'= f'^ge of the pasture Some of
puik, pointed spirals hSl , -if their buds curled in
were already star-An^r* , pale-green cahees : but most
The bats \KTf>Tr'/=x “Lx - ^ and givinCf off their Rtmn or cr en t.

to Ae soapwOTt““™® —

duturbef to foi^thatT^ “ the field. He v

that his hind leg was troubUng him. 1

THE GREAT RIVER

297

had thought that it was healed, but the forced journey over
the downs had evidently proved too much for the muscle
torn by the shot-gun pellets He wondered whether it was
far to the river of which Kehaar had spoken If it was, he
was in for trouble

‘Hazel-rah,’ said Piplan, commg up from among the
soapwort, ‘are you all right ^ Your leg looks queer - you’re
dragging it ’

‘No, It’s all right,’ said Hazel ‘Look, Hlao-roo, where’s
Kehaar^ I want to talk to him ’

‘He’s flown out to see if there’s a patrol anywhere near,
Hazel-rah Bigwig woke some time ago and he and Silver
asked Kehaar to go They didn’t want to disturb you ’

Hazel felt irritated It would have been better to be told
at once which way to go, rather than to wait while Kehaar
looked for patrols They were going to cross a river and as
far as he was concerned they could not do it too soon
Fretting, he waited for Kehaar Soon he had become as
tense and nervous as he had ever been in his hfe He was
beginning to beheve that after all he might have been rash
It was clear that Holly had not under-rated their danger
near Efrafa He had httle doubt that Bigwig, by sheer
chance, had led the fox on to a Wide Patrol which had been
following their trail Then, in the morning, again by luck
and the help of Kehaar, they had evidently just imsscd
another at the crossing of the iron road Perhaps Silver’s
fear was well-founded and a patrol had already spotted and
reported them without their knowing^ Had General
Woundwort got some sort of Kehaar of his own ^ Perhaps a
bat was at tins moment talking to lum*^ How was one to
foresee and guard agamst everything^ The grass seemed
sour, the sunslune dully Hazel sat hunched under the firs,
worrying dismally He felt less annoyed, now, with Bigwig
he could understand his feelings Waiting was bad He
fidgeted for some kind of action Just as he had decided to
wait no longer, but to collect everyone and go immediately,
Kehaar came flying from the direction of the cutting He
flapped clumsily down among the firs, silencing the bats

EFRAFA

298

‘Meester ’Azcl, ccs no rabbits. I t’ink maybe dey no like
for go across iron road ’

‘Good Is It far to the river, Kchaar^’

‘Na, na. Ees close, in vood ’

‘Splendid. We can find this crossing in daylight?’

‘ Ya, ya I show you pndgc ’

The rabbits had gone only a short distance through the
wood when they sensed that they were already near the
river. The ground became soft and damp. They could smell
sedge and water Suddenly, the harsh, vibrating cry of a
moorhen echoed through the trees, followed by a flapping
of wings and a watery scattering The rustling of the leaves
seemed also to echo, as though reflected distantly from hard
ground A little further on, they could distinctly hear the
water itself — the low, continuous pouring of a shallow fall*
A human being, hearing from a distance the noise of a
crowd, can form an idea of its size. The sound of the rivei
told the rabbits that it must be bigger than any they had
known before - wide, smooth and swift Pausing among the
comfrey and ground elder, they stared at each other,
seeking reassurance Then they began to lollop hesitantly
forw'^ard into more open ground. There was still no iiver to
be seen, but in front they could pei ceive a flicker and dance
of mirrored light in the air Soon afterwards Hazel, limping
ahead with Fiver near him, found himself on a narrow, green
path that divided the wilderness from the river bank

The path was almost as smooth as a lawn and clear of
bushes and weeds, for it was kept cut for fishermen Along
Its farther side the riparian plants grew thickly, so that it
was separated firom the river by a land of hedge of purple
oosestrife, great willow-herb, fleabane, figwort and hemp
agrimony, here and there already in bloom. Two or three
more of the rabbits emerged from the wood Peering through
t e plant-clumps, they could catch glimpses of the smooth,
g ttermg nver, evidently much wider and swifter than the
*n ome. Although there was no enemy or other danger
^ perceived, they felt the apprehension and doubt of
ose w o have come unawares upon some awe-inspiring

THi: GREAT RIVER 299

place, where they themselves are paltry fellows of no
account When Marco Polo came at last to Cathay, seven
hundred years ago, did he not feel - and did his heart not
falter as he realized ~ that this great and splendid capital
of an empire had had its being all the years of Ins life and
far longer, and that he had been ignorant of it^ That it
was in need of nothing from him, from Venice, from Europe ^
That It was full of wonders beyond his undeistandmg^ That
his arrival was a matter of no importance whatever^ We
know that he felt these things, and so has many a traveller
in foreign parts who did not know what he was going to
find There is nothing that cuts you down to size like
coming to some strange and marvellous place where no
one even stops to notice that you stare about you
The rabbits were uneasy and confused They crouched
on the grass, sniffing the water-smells in the cooling, sunset
air and moved closer together, each hoping not to see in
the others the nervousness he felt m himself As PipLin
reached the path a great, shimmering dragon-fly, four
inches long, all emerald and sable, appeared at his shoulder,
hovered, dromng and motionless, and was gone like light-
ning into the sedge Pipkin leapt back in alarm As he did
so there came a shrill, vibrant cry and he caught sight,
between the plants, of a brilliant, azure bird flashing past
over the open water A few moments later there came, from
close behind the plant-hedge, the sound of a fairly heavy
splash but what creature might have made it there was no
telling

Looking round for Hazel, Pipkin caught sight of Kehaar,
a little way off, standing in a patch of shallow water
between two clumps of willow-herb He was stabbing and
snapping at something in the mud and after a few moments
pulled out a six-inch leech and swallowed it whole Beyond
him, some distance down the path, Hazel was combing the
goose-grass out of Ins coat and evidently listemng to Fiver
as they sat together under a rhododendron Pipkin ran
along the bank and joined them

‘There’s nothing wrong with the place,’ Fiver was saying

300

efrafa

There s no more danger here tlian anywhere else. Keliaar's
going to show ns where to get across, isn’t he? The thing to
Clovis to get on with it before it gets dark ’

They 11 never stop here,’ replied Hazel ‘We can’t stay

and wan for Big^sng m a place like this. It’s unnatural for
rabbits.

Yes, we can - calm down. They’ll get used to it quicker
an you think. I tell you, it’s better than one or two other
places we ve been in. Not all strange things are bad. Would
you e me to take them over ? Say it’s because of your leg.’
here?’^’ Hazel. ‘Hlao-roo, can you get everyone along

men Pipldn had gone, he said, ‘I feel troubled. Fiver,
this pl^^^ ^lich of them, and there are so many risks in

^ than you give them credit for,’

reified Fiver. If you were to - ’

busl^s^^ called raucously across, startling a wren out of the

;Meester ’Azel, vat for you vait?’

To Imow where to go,’ answered Fiver.

^idge near. You go on, you see ’

Rreeno^i-fi undergrowth stood close to the

felt - it ^ ^y^^d - downstream, as they all intm tively

Hazel following^FNer""

Kehaar’q^t^m^^^ know what a bridge was It was another of
tionins- ke did not feel up to ques-

wide experirace ^ Hehaar and his respect for his

into th? open Clearlv^ disturbed as they came

frequented and d, man-place,

was a road.

over the unnatural surface stretching away

he wis Sa?tT,^ it At length! when

cautiously up to thT v^ge^ anywhere near, he went

long It ^d^n?t JTh bridge about thirty feet

o Hazel that there was anything

THE GREAT RIVER

301

unusual m this The idea of a bridge was beyond him He
saw only a Ime of stout posts-and-rails on eitlier side of tlie
road Similarly, simple Afncan villagers, who have never
left their remote homes, may not be particularly surprised
by their first sight of an aeroplane it is outside their com-
prehension But their first sight of a horse pulling a cart will
set them pomtmg and laughing at the ingenuity of the
fellow who thought of that one Hazel saw without surprise
the road crossing the nver What worried lum was that
where it did so, there were only very narrow verges of short
grass, offenng no cover His rabbits would be exposed to
view and unable to bolt, except along the road

‘Do you think we can risk it, Fiver he asked

T can^t see why youhe bothered,’ answered Fiver ‘You
went into the farmyard and the shed where the hutch-rabbits
were This is much less dangerous Come on - they’re all
watching while we hesitate ’

Fiver hopped out on the road He looked round for a
moment and then made his way to the nearer end of the
bridge Hazel followed him along the verge, keepmg close
beside the rail on the upstream side Looking round, he saw
Fipkin close behind In the middle of the bridge Fiver, who
was perfectly calm and unhurried, stopped and sat up The
other two jomed him

‘Let’s put on a bit of an act,’ said Fiver ‘Make them
inquisitive Tliey’ll follow us just to see what we’re looking
at’

There was no sill along the edge of the bridge they could
have walked off it into the water three feet below From
under the lowest rail they looked out, upstream, and now,
for the first time, saw the whole river plainly If the bndge
had not startled Hazel, the river did He lemembered the
Enborne, its surface broken by gravel spits and plant growth
The Test, a weed-cut, carefully-tended trout stream, seemed
to him like a world of water A good ten yards wide it was,
fast-flowing and smooth, spangbng and dazzling in the
cvemng sun The tree-reflections on the even current were
Unbroken as on a lake There was not a reed or a plant to

efrafa

302

be seen above the water. Close by, under the left bank, a
c of crowfoot trailed downstream, the whcel-likc leaves
a su meigcd. Darker still, almost black, were the mats of
water-moss, their thick masses motionless on the bed of the
river and only the trailing fionds waving slowly from side
o SI e. Waving, too, were the wider expanses of pale-green
ress weed , but these rippled with the current, lightly and
qrnciciy. The water was very clear, with a bed of clean,
rlt and even in the middle was hardly four feet

s t e rabbits stared down they could discern, here
na there, a very fine scour, like smoke ~ chalk and pow-

c along by the river as dust is blown on

4 - from under the bridge, with a languid

loner swam a gravel-coloured fish as

see^h ^ ^ watchers, immediately above, could

th^ aark vivid spots along its sides Warily it hung m

reLnd^r^T^'^r undulating from side to side. It
swam nn of the cat m the yard. As they stared, it

the surf^T^A ^ ^ dicker and stopped just below

stream blunt nose thrust clear of the

RhythmiVa]] ®P^u mouth, pure white inside,

sede-e flv an f’ haste, it sucked dowm a floating

and the cucles, breaking both the reflections

and once ^^^^ually the stream grew smooth

us it held its below them waving its tail

there toorDoidtValT-^

and the pike ’ Hlao-roo. Remember El-ahrairah

‘There^mayte™reltares^ staring.

‘How do we LowTA “ “ tit**' Hazel

you do if a hrududu across. What would

the farther end this.’ And he scurried off

On this far side 8^-= beyo-d.

THE GREAT RIVER

303

The ground was marshy but at least there was plenty of
cover Fiver and Pipkin began at once on some scrapes,
while Hazel sat chewing pellets and resting his injured leg
Soon they were joined by Silver and Dandelion, but the
other rabbits, more hesitant even than Hazel, remained
crouching in the long grass on the right bank At last, just
before darkness fell, Fiver re-crossed the bridge and coaxed
them to follow him back Bigwig, to everyone’s surprise,
showed considerable reluctance, and only crossed m the
end after Kehaar, returmng from another flight over Efrafa,
had asked whether he would like him to go and fetch a
fox

The night that followed seemed to all of them disorgan-
ized and precarious Hazel, still conscious of being in man-
country, was half-expecting either a dog or a cat But al-
though they heard owls more than once, no elil attacked
them and by the morning they were m better spirits

As soon as they had fed, Hazel set them to exploring the
surroundings It became even more plain that the ground
near the river was too wet for rabbits Indeed, in places it
was almost bog Marsh sedge grew there, pink, sweet-
scented valerian and the drooping water-avens Silver
reported that it was drier up in the woodland away from the
bank, and at first Hazel had the idea of picking a fresh spot
and digging again But presently the day grew so hot and
humid that all activity was quenched The faint breeze
vanished The sun drew up a torpid moisture from the
watery thickets The smell of water-mint filled ail tlie hydro-
phanic air The rabbits crept into the shade, under any
cover that ofleicd Long before ni-Frith, all were drowsing
m the undergrowth

It was not until the dappled afternoon began to grow cool
that Hazel woke suddenly, to find Kehaar beside him The
gull ^^as strutting from side to side wath short, quick steps
and pcclving impatiently m the long grass Hazel sat up
quickly

*What IS It, Kehaar’ Not a patrol’’

‘Na, na Ecs all line for sleep like bloody owls Maybe I

304

ErRAI'A

go for Peeg Vatcr. Mccstcr *Azcl, you getting mudders now
soon? Vat for vait now^’

No, you’re right, Kchaar, we must start now. The trouble
IS, I can sec how to start but not how to iinish.’

Hazel made his way through the grass, roused the first
rabbit he found -- who happened to be Bluebell - and sent
lum to fetch Bigwig, Blaclcbcrry and Fiver, ^^^lcn they

came, he took them to join Kchaar on the short grass of the
river bank.

This IS the problem, Blackberry,’ he said. ‘You remem-
ber that when we were under the down that evening, I said
we should have to do three things- get the docs out of
Efrafa, break up the pursuit and then get right away so that

T ^ This plan you’ve thought up is clever,

it 11 do the first Uvo tlungs all right, I’m sure of that But
w at about the last one ? The Efi afan rabbits are fast and
savage. They’ll find us if we’re to be found and I don’t
e leve we can run away faster than they can follow -

^ ^ ^®t of does who’ve never been out of

ra a e couldn’t possibly stand and fight them to a
nis - we re too few And on top of that, my leg seems to
be bad apin So what’s to be done ^ ’

ctjciU ^ Q^nswered Blackberry ‘But obviously, we

nee to disappear Could we swim the river? No scent
men, you know ’

Hazel ‘We’d be carried away But
lowpf^ ^ sMnm it, we couldn’t count on not being fol-

cFZtu these Efrafans, tLfd

come<! tn river if they thought we had What it

Dursuit Wh*l Kehaar to help us, we can break up a

which wa ^ Setting the does out, but they’ll know

vouS leave it at ihat No,

thev can’f ^ got to vamsh without a trace, so that

tney^nt even track us But how?’

the river a JHckberry again. ‘ShaU we go up

e river a little way and have a look at it? Perhans there’s

that'^ryour Vou manage

IHE GREAT RIVER

305

‘Ifwc don’t go too far/ replied Hazel
‘Can I come, Hazcl-rah?’ asked Bluebell, who had been
waiting about, a little way off
‘Yes, all right,’ said Hazel good-naturedly, as he began
to limp along the bank upstream
They soon realized that the woodland on this left bank

was lonely, thick and overgrown - denser than the nut
copses and bluebell woods of Sandlefoi d Several times they
heard the drumming of a great woodpecker, the shyest of
birds As Blackberry 'was suggesting that perhaps they might
look for a hidmg-placc somewhere m this jungle, they
became aware of another sound - the falling water which
they had heard on their approach the day before Soon they
reached a place where the river curved round m a bend
from the cast, and here they came upon the broad, shallow
kill It was no more than a foot high - one of those artificial
kdls, common on the chalk streams, made to attract trout
Spcral wcic already rising to the evening hatch of fly Just
above the fill a planl^ footbndgc crossed the over Kchaar
fiev up, circled the pool and perched on the hand-rail
I his IS more sheltered and lonely than the bridge %sc
crossed last night,’ said Blacl berry ‘ Perhaps u c could make
some use of it You didn’t know about this bridge, Kchaar,
dnl you’’

3o6 zvkata

that although it wa*? ccilainly woodcrij it was not round,
but flat, or ncaily flat, with raised edges - sonic man-thing«
He remembered how once, long ago, sniffing over a larm
rubbish-heap with Fiver, he had come upon a similar object
- laigc, smooth and flat. (That had, in fact, been an old,
discarded door.) It had been of no use to them and they
had left it alone. His inclination was to leave this alone
too.

One end of the thing was picsscd into the bank, but
along Its length it diverged, sticking out slightly into the
stieam Theic were ripples round it, for under the banks the
current was as swift as in mid-stream, on account of weed-
cutting and sound camp-sheeting. As Hazel came nearer,
he saw that Blackberry had actually scrambled on the tiling.
His claws made a faint hollow sound on the wood, so theie
must be water underneath. Whatever it might be, the
tiling did not extend downwards to the bottom: it was
lying on the water.

‘What are you after, Blackberry^’ he said rather sharply*

‘Food,’ replied Blackberry. ‘Flayrah Can’t you smell
it?’

Kehaar had alighted on the middle of the thing, and was
snapping away at something white. Blackberry scuttered
along the wood towards him and began to nibble at some
kind of green-stuff After a little while Hazel also ventured
out on the wood and sat in the sunshine, watching the flies
on the warm, varmshed surface and sniffing the strange
river smells that came up from the water

‘What is this man-tlung, Kehaar?’ he asked. ‘Is it
dangerous ? ’

‘Na, no dangerous You not know? Ees poat At Peeg
Vater is many, many poat. Men make dem, go on vater.
Ees no harm,’

Kehaar went on pecking at the broken pieces of stale
bread Blackberry, who had finished the fragments of
lettuce he had found, was sitting up and looking over the
very low side, watching a stone-coloured, black-spotted
trout swun up into the fall The ‘ boat’ was a miniature punt.

THE GREAT RIVER

307

used for reed-cutting little more than a raft, with a single
thwart amidships Even when it was unmanned, as now,
there were only a few inches of freeboard

‘You know/ said Fiver from the bank, ‘seeing you sitting
there reminds me of that other wooden thing you found,
when the dog ^vas in the wood and you got Pipkm and me
over the nver Do you remember^’

‘I remember shoving you along/ said Bigwig ‘It was
jolly cold ’

‘What puzzles me,’ said Blackberry, ‘is why this boat-
thing doesn’t go along Everything in this nver goes along,
and fast too ~ see there ’ He looked out at a piece of stick
floating down on the even, two-milc-an-hour current ‘So
what’s stopping tlus thing from going

Kehaar had a ‘short way with landlubbers’ manner
which he sometimes used to those of the rabbits that he did
not particularly like Blackberry was not one of his favour-
ites he preferred straightforward characters such as Bigwig,
Buckthorn and Silver

‘Ees rope You like bite heem, den you go damn’ queek,
all de vay ’

‘Yes, I see,’ said Fiver ‘The rope goes round that metal
thing where Hazel’s sitting and the other end’s fixed on the
bank here It’s like the stalk of a big leaf You could gnaw it
through and the leaf the boat - would drop off the bank ’
‘Well, anyway, let’s go back now,’ said Hazel, rather
dejectedly 'I’m afraid we don’t seem to be any nearer to
finding what we’re looking for, Kehaar Can you possibly
Wait until tomorrow'^ I had the idea that we might all move
to somewhere a bit drier before tomght - higher up m the
wood, away from the river ’

‘Oh, what a pity*’ said Bluebell ‘Do you know, I’d
quite decided to become a water-rabbit ’

‘A what^’ asked Bigwig

‘A water-rabbit,’ repeated Bluebell ‘Well, there are
water-rats and water-beetles and Pipkin says that last night
he saw a water-hawk So why not a water-rabbit^ I shall
float merrily along

3o8 efrafa

* Great golden Frith on a hill I ’ cried Blackberry suddenly-
‘Great jumping Rabscuttle! That’s it! That’s it! Bluebel ,
you shall be a water-rabbit • ’ He began leaping and skippii^S
aboug on the bank and cuffing Fiver with his front paw^
‘Don’t you see. Fiver? Don’t you see^ We bite the rope an
off we go: and General Woundwort doesn’t know ! -

Fiver paused. ‘Yes, I do see,’ he replied at length. You
mean on the boat. I must say. Blackberry, you’re a clever
fellow. I remember now that after we’d crossed that otl^’^
river, you said that that floating trick might come in han y
again some time.’

‘Here, wait a moment,’ said Hazel. ‘We’re just sirups
rabbits. Bigwig and I Do you mind explaining ? ’

Then and there, while the black gnats settled on their
ears, by the plank bridge and the pouring waterfall, Blac
berry and Fiver explained. ,

‘Could you just go and try the rope, Hazel-rah?’ adde
Blackberry, when he had finished ‘ It may be too thick.
They went back to the punt

‘No, it’s not,’ said Hazel, ‘and it’s stretched tight, oi
course, which makes it much easier to gnaw. I can gnaw
that all right.’

*Ya, ees goot,’ said Kehaar. ‘You go fine. But you do
heem queek, ya^ Maybe somet’ing change. Man come,
take poat - you know?’

‘There’s nothing more to wait for,’ said Hazel. ‘Go on,
Bigwig, straight away: and may El-ahrairah go with you.
And remember, you’re the leader now. Send word by
Kehaar what you want us to do; we shall all be here, ready
to bade you up.’

Afterwards, they all remembered how Bigwig had taken
his orders. No one could say that he did not practise what
he preached He hesitated a few moments and then looked
squarely at Hazel

‘It’s sudden,’ he said ‘I wasn’t expecting it tonight.
But that’s all to the good - I hated waiting. ’See you
later.’

He touched his nose to Hazel’s, turned and hopped away

GENERAL WOUNDWORT 3O9

into the undergrowth A few minutes later, guided by
Kehaar, he was running up the open pasture north of the
nver, straight foi tlie brick arch in the overgro^vn railway
embankment and the fields that lay beyond

34 General Woundwort

Like an obelisk towards which the principal streets of a to^vn con-
verge, the strong will of a proud spirit stands prominent and
commanding in the middle of the art of war

Clausewitz On War

Dusk was falhng on Efrafa In the failing light, General
Woundwort was watching the Near Hind Mark at silflay
along the edge of the great pasture field that lay between
the warren and the iron road Most of the rabbits were
feeding near the Mark holes, which were close beside the
field, concealed among the trees and undergrowth border-
ing a lonely bndle-path A few, however, had ventured out
into the field, to browse and play in the last of the sun
Further out still were the sentries of the Owsla, on the alert
for the approach of men or elil and also for any rabbit who
n^ight stray too far to be able to get undergroimd qmckly
if there should be an alarm

Captain Chervil, one of the two officers of the Mark, had
just returned from a round of his sentries and was talking to
some of the does near the centre of the Mark ground, when
he saw the General approaching He looked quickly about
to see whether anything was at fault Since all seemed to
be well, he began nibbling at a patch of sweet vernal with
the best air of indifference that he could manage

General Woundwort was a singular rabbit Some three
years before, he had been born - the strongest of a litter of
five - in a burrow outside a cottage garden near Cole
Henley His father, a happy-go-lucky and reckless buck, had

310 EFRAFA

thought nothing of living close to human beings, except that
he would be able to forage in their garden in the early
morning He had paid dearly for his rashness. After two or
three weeks of spoiled lettuces and mbbled cabbage-plants,
the cottager had lain in wait and shot him as he came
through the potato-patch at dawn. The same morning, the
man set so work to dig out the doe and her growing
Woundwort’s mother escaped, racing across the kale-fiel
towards the downs, her kittens doing their best to follow her.
None but Woundwort succeeded. His mother, bleeding
from a shot-gun pellet, made her way along the hedges m
broad daylight, with Woundwort limping beside her.

It was not long before a weasel picked up the scent of the
blood and followed it. The little rabbit cowered in the grass
while his mother was killed before his eyes. He made no
attempt to run, but the weasel, its hunger satisfied, left him
alone and made off through the bushes Several hours later
a kind old schoolmaster from Overton, walking through the
fields, came upon Woundwort nuzzling the cold, still body
and crying He carried him home to his own kitchen and
saved his life, feeding him with milk from a nasal dropper
until he was old enough to eat bran and greenstuff. But
Woundwort grew up very wild and, like Gowper’s hare,
would bite when he could In a month he was big and strong
and had become savage He nearly killed the schoolmaster s
cat, which had foimd him at hberty m the kitchen and tried
to torment him One night, a week later, he tore the wire
from the front of his hutch and escaped to the open
country.

Most rabbits in his situation, lacking almost all experience
of wald life, would have fallen victim at once to the elil . but
not Woundwort After a few days’ wandering, he came upon
a small warren and, snarling and clawing, forced them to
accept him. Soon he had become Chief Rabbit, having
killed both the previous Chief and a rival named Fiorin
In combat he was terrifying, fighting entirely to kill,
indifferent to any wounds he received himself and closing
with Ins adversaries until his weight overbore and exliausted

GENERAL WOUNDWORT 3II

them Those who had no heart to oppose him were not
long in fechng that here was a leader indeed
Woundwort was ready to fight anything except a fox
One evening he attacked and drove off a foraging Aberdeen
puppy He was impervious to tlie fascination of the musteh-
dae and hoped some day to kill a weasel, if not a stoat When
he had explored the hmits of his own strength, he set to
work to satisfy his longing for still more power in the only
possible way — by increasing the power of the rabbits about
him He needed a bigger kingdom Men were the great
danger, but this could be circumvented by cunmng and
discipline He left the small warren, taking his followers
^ith him, and set out to look for a place suited to his pur-
pose, where the very existence of rabbits could be concealed
and extermination made very difficult
Efrafa grew up round the crossing-point of two green
bndle-paths, one of which (the east-to-west) was tunnel-like,
bordered on both sides by a thick growth of trees and bushes
The immigrants, under Woundwort’s direction, dug their
holes between the roots of the trees, m the undergrowth and
along the ditches From the first the warren prospered
Woundwort watched over them with a tireless zeal that won
their loyalty even while they feared him When the does
stopped digging, Woundwort himself went on with their
work wlule they slept If a man was coming, Woundwort
spotted him half a mile away He fought rats, magpies,
grey squirrels and once, a crow When litters were kindled,
he kept an eye on their growth, picked out the strongest
youngsters for the Owsla and trained them himself He
would allow no rabbit to leave the warren Quite early on,
three who tried to do so were himted down and forced to
return

As the warren grew, so Woundwort developed lus system
to keep it under control Crowds of rabbits feeding at
mormng and evemng were likely to attract attention He
devised the Marks, each controlled by its own officers and
sentries, with feedmg-times changed regularly to give all
a share of early morning and sunset - the favourite hours for

312

LFRAFA

silflay. All signs of labbit life were concealed as closely as
possible. The Owsla had privileges in regard to feeding?
mating and freedom of movement Any failure of duty on
their part was liable to be punished by demotion and loss

of privileges. For ordinary rabliiilSj the punislimcnts were
more severe.

When it was no longer possible for Woundwort to be
everywhere, the Council was set up Some of the members
came from the Oi.vsla, but others were selected solely fot
their loyalty or their cunning as advisers. Old Snowdrop
was growing deaf, but no one knew more than he about
organizing a warren for safety. On liis advice, the runs and
burrows of the various Marks were not connected under-
^otmd, so that disease or poison, if they came, would spread
ess r^dily. Conspiracy would also spread less readily. To
^ burrows of another Mark was not allowed wthout
an officer’s permission. It was on Snowdrop’s advice, too,
at oundv/ort at length ordered that the warren was not
o exten further, on account of the risk of detection and the
of central control. He was persuaded only \vith
c ty^ or the new pohey frustrated his restless desire of
power a ter power. This now needed another outlet and
soon a ter the warren had been stopped from grovdng, he
introduced the Wide Patrols. s ^

Patrols began as mere forays or raids, led by
Woundwort into the surrounding country. He would
simply pick four or five of the Owsla and take them out to
oo or trouble. On the first occasion they were lucky

^ eaten a mouse

bat had eaten poison-dressed seed-corn. On the next, they

^^ssil whom they compelled to return with
TT , ° ^ ^ warren. Woundwort was no mere bully*

He knew how to encourage other rabbits and to fill them

xvf-rf^ long before his officers

envf* th ® ® ^ owed to lead patrols Woundwort would

S- m Ibr hlessil in a certain direction

ratfxvhll Yi'f u ^tch or bam contained

rats vhich could later be attacked in force and driven out.

sjiqq^ JO X,red oSrei iu ™' o,n d '

‘3Duor«d« puo’oSrjSd I^uopdoovo ro' ? ^''‘ P"’'
mvjdr^o ‘«PP0[ S,, „t,j Lou SuopoL ouf,°

peq qjjou oqj o, ,no uooq pcu uDra^?L.' '!"‘"

OAU Xpio 'ns JO -uotn TO LLmL'

OJOAI XUE jr 'joojd Jouuni u ‘mLi

aAioptmjuooqpEq<soA.jiSnjoq,jo,tn3^iPf“ ““J ’H) «o
- 3!qq« pyao-mosou PUE oABuq Li Lotjuu^? Su'P>25i optpn

jUfT UTBS^ y[UVJ PJOU J9AQU nmrtA^ ^ ^SJOA\

'"Im'ssoisTs p°°®

joBEtct joqjouE ajoM sjoomo^nq ‘puW o^

. .p,u. - E,.MO X^EU^fo

oq, uq, ‘snioooq puq uju^a juq, seaa qjmjLqi^, "mLm“
s,iE«uop sq, o, poppE Apio ‘«doud Auoa qSnom
snim yMo aqi mo^ popodxo puu po,o4p
JO ‘pEq ‘mrsnods^:, jsogfo oq, -ssoiSna tnLdE^ ,S°,
Aq goidEOSo PUE soifluos srq StqqoEpE 4pnEamr4 qLw
oq, gnqzooqraEq ‘qou, sjdmzs Auoa e gtnxLd m psnsfZ^,
pEq Xoqi jna -moqj onioo puq Aoq, o^qA^ ,no p4 L <4
Tpopnojm peq oH quEij jqgrg aq, o,m poLo",dmi 41

ppq nooq pmj - uoxipaa «q,ouB raoji XssEamo to o„t,

psqjo pop pouA E ip,s SETH, oraqj;^ -sojnsEonj guoujs asEi oi
peq p^q potmoo aq, pus aAtssajggE naq, pire lUEmiad isL
onioDaq peq Xaqj 'sauaj Aue no pajuEug aq oj gmog jou Lm
jsonbai qaqj JEqj niEid amoaaq peq ,j noqM
pmoo aqi SE Xethe jej se oS o, guuajfo ‘js^rg ,e arqLaEid
uaoq peq -aajJEM aqj aAEai OJ poqSB pus naunoTo am
siojaq atnoD pEq saop jo dnoig e <oSe guop jo^j -agEuLm S
pieq pnE aAijsaj guiMojg aja^H tnaqj jo atnos 'ijas}! tn pnoS
sqj 0 ) SEM os gniop Jiaq, apq^ .q,jjq • P

gtnqrasqEaj ajaAi saop aqj jo Xueui jEqj ,oet gq, iU
snp puE ‘raaiqojd aAEjg e gunaoaaq sbm SuipMoaojaAQ

vavHda .pjg

EFRAFA

316

‘Yes, I know them/ said Woundwort, ‘but they wouldn’t
make officers We need to replace Charlock and Mallow,
that’s what I’m getting at.’

‘That’s difficult, sir,’ said Chervil. ‘That sort of rabbit
doesn’t hop out of the grass ’

Well, they’ve got to hop from somewhere,’ said Wound-
wort You’d better think about it and tell me any ideas that
occur to you. Anyway, I want to go round your sentries now.
Gome With me, will you ? ’

They were about to set off when a third rabbit approached
- none other than Captain Campion himself. It was Cam-
pion s prmcipal duty to search the outskirts of Efrafa at
mornmg and evening and to report anything new - the
tyre-marks of a tractor in mud, the droppings of a sparrow-
hawk or the spreading of fertilizer on a field An expert
tracker, he missed little or nothing and was one of the very
ew rabbits for whom Woundwort felt a genuine respect
want me?’ said Woundwort, pausing.

Well, I think so, sir,’ rephed Campion ‘We’ve picked
up a hlessi and brought him in ’

‘Where was he^’

‘Down by the arch, sir Just this side of it ’

What was he domg?’

says he’s come a long way on purpose to
ium » That’s why I thought you might hke to see

‘Wants to join Efrafa?’ asked Woundwort, puzzled,
mat s what he says, sir.’

^ Why can t the Council see him tomorrow ? ’
t ^ you like, sir, of course But he strikes me as

rabbft^ ordinary. I’d say, a distinctly useful

‘Well, all nght I
he now?’

the nvo the crossing

among the trees ) ‘ TCof 6% yards away,

j patrol are with him

^^de his way back to the Grixa. GhemI,

GENERAL WOUNDWORT 317

being on duty with his Mark, remained where he was
Campion accompanied the General

At tins hour the Crixa ^vas all green shade, with red
gleams of sun that wml ed through the moving leaves The
damp grass along the edges of the patlis was dotted with
spikes of mauve bugle, and the sanicles and yellow arch-
angels flowered tluckly Under an elder bush, on the far
side of the track, two Owslafa, or Council police, were
waiting, and with them was the stranger

Woundwort saw at once what Campion had meant The
stranger was a big rabbit, heavy but alert, with a rugged,
seasoned appearance and the look of a fighter He had a
cunous, thick growth of fur - a kind of top-knot ~ on the
crown of his head He stared at Woundwort with a detached,
appraising air which the General had not encountered for
a very long time

‘Who are you^’ said Woundwort

‘My name is Thlayh/ replied the stranger

‘Thlayh, prompted Campion The stranger said
nothing

‘The patrol brought you in, I’m told What were you
doing

‘IVe come to join Efrafa ’

‘Why?’

‘I’m surprised you ask It’s your warren, isn’t it? Is there
anything odd about someone wanting to join?’

Woimdwort was nonplussed He was no fool and it was,
he could not help feeling, extremely odd that any nght-
minded rabbit should choose to walk into Efrafa of his
own accord But he could hardly say so

‘What can you do?’

‘I can run and fight and spoil a story telling it IVe been
an officer in an Owsla ’

‘Fight, can you ? Could you fight him ? ’ said Woundwort,
looking at Campion

‘ Certamly, if you wish ’ The stranger reared up and
aimed a heavy cuff* at Campion, who leapt back just in
time

3i8

efrafa

Don’t be a fool/ said Woundwort. ‘Sit down. Where
were you in an Owsla?’

Far off The warren was destroyed by men, but I escaped,
ve been wandering some time It won’t surprise you that
leard of Efrafa I’ve come a long way to join it. I thought
you might have some use for me.’

‘Are you alone?’

‘I am now ’

ft, considered again It was likely enough that

is rabbit had been an officer in an Owsla. Any Owsla
wou want him If he was speaking the truth, he had had
wits enough to escape the destruction of his warren and
^rvive a ong journey through open country. It must have
een a very long journey, for there was no warren within
the normal range of the Efrafan patrols

ell, he said at length, ‘I dare say we might be able
to lind some use for you, as you put it. Campion here will
oo a ter tonight and tomorrow morning you’ll come
^ ^ Douncil Meanwhile, don’t start fighting, do you

see We can ^ve you plenty to do without that.’
very well ’

following morning, after the Council had discussed

e pre cament of the warren due to the recent losses,

enera Woundwort proposed that for a start, they might

newcomer as an officer in the Near

Po?m T instruction of Captain Chervil The

blerrltnCT ^ni, agreed By ni-Frith Thlayli, still

had ^®ni the Mark gash mfficted in his left haunch,
naci taken up ins duties.

35 Groping

This world, where much is to be done, and little Lno\vn

Dr Johnson

‘ — And then before the Mark silflay/ said Chervil, ' I always
have a look at the weather The previous Mark send a
runner, of course, to say when they’re going down, and he
reports on the weather, but I always go and have a look for
myself as well In moonhght we put the sentries fairly close
in and keep on the move ourselves to make sure no one goes
too far But in ram or darkness we send the Mark up m
small groups, one after the other, and each group has a
sentry m charge In absolutely desperate weather we ask the
General’s permission to postpone the silflay ’

'But do they often try to run away^’ asked Bigwig
During the afternoon he had been up and down the runs
and crowded burrows with Chervil and Avens, the other
Mark officer, and had thought to himself tliat never in his
hfe had he seen such a cheerless, dispirited lot of rabbits
'They don’t strike me as a very difficult bunch ’

‘Most of them are no trouble, it’s true,’ said Avens, ‘but
you never know when trouble’s coming For instance, you’d
have said there wasn’t a more docile lot in Efrafa than the
Right Flank And then one day they get four hlessil wished
on them by the Council and the ne\t evemng Bugloss isn’t
very quick in the uptake for some reason, and suddenly
these hlessil play a tnck on him and bunk And that’s the
end of him ~ to say nothing of poor old Charlock killed on
the iron road WTien sometlimg like that happens, it hap-
pens hkc hghtning and it isn’t always planned sometimes
it’s more like a frenzy A rabbit tears away on impulse and
if \ ou don’t knock him over quick, tlie next tlnng you know
three more will be off after him The onl} safe way'' is to
watch all the time when tlicy’re above ground and do your

320

EFRAFA

own relaxing when you can. After all, that’s what we’re
here for - that and the patrols.’

‘Now, about burying hraka,’ said Chervil, ‘you can’t be
too strict. If the General finds any hraka in the fields he’ll
stuff your tail down your throat. They always try to dodge
buiynng, though. They want to be natural, the anti-social
httle beasts. They just don’t realize that everyone’s good
depends on everyone’s cooperation. What I do is to set
three or four of them to dig a new trough in the ditch every
day, as a punishment. You can nearly always find someone
to pumsh if you try hard enough. Today’s squad fills up
yesterday s trough and digs another. There are special runs
leading into the bottom of the ditch and the Mark have got
w iio others when they go out to pass hraka.

We keep a hraka-sentry in the ditch to make sure they come
back ’

^How do you check them in after silflay?’ asked Bigwig.

Well, we know them all by sight,’ rephed Chervil, ‘and
we v»^tch them go down. There are only two entrance holes
or the Mark and one of us sits at each hole Every rabbit
knows wMch hole he has to use and I should certainly miss
who didn’t go down. The sentries come in last
? ^ ~ ^ only call them in when I’m quite sure that all the

Mark are down And once they’re down, of course, they
well get out, with a sentry at each hole. Digging I
ou ^ hear, YouVe not allowed to dig in Efrafa without
permission from the Council. The only really dangerous
tae IS when there’s an alarm - say, a man or a fox. Then

nearest hole, of course. So far, it doesn’t
seem to have occurred to anyone that he could bolt the

quite a long start before he was missed,
safemard^^^^^^ towards ehl, and that’s the real

less titan he had expected ^°P^'

ncrai will take you on patrol himself to

GROPING

321

begin with/ said Avens ‘He did me You may not be so
keen when you’ve had a day or two with him - you’ll be
worn out Still, I must admit, Thlayh, you’re a fine size, and
if you’ve been hving rough for some time you’ll probably
manage it all nght ’

At this moment a rabbit with a white scar across his
throat came down the run

‘The Neck Mark’s just going down, Captain Chervil, sir,’
he said ‘ It’s a beautiful evening I should make the most of
It’

‘I was wondering when you were going to show up/
replied Chervil ‘Tell Captain Samfoin I’m bringing my
Mark up at once ’

Turning to one of his own sentries who was close by,
Chervil told him to go round the burrows and send everyone
up for silflay

^ ‘Now,’ he said, ‘Avens, you go to the further hole as
usual, and Thlayh can join me on the nearer one We’ll send
four sentries out to the line to start with, and when the Mark
have all gone out, we’ll add four more and keep two in
reserve I’ll see you in the usual place, by the big flint in the
bank ’

Bigwig followed Chervil along the run, down which came
the scents of warm grass, clover and hop trefoil He had
found most of the runs closer and stuffier than he was used
to, no doubt because there were so few holes mto the open
air The prospect of an evening silflay, even in Efrafa, was
pleasant He thought of the beech leaves nisthng above the
far-off Honeycomb, and sighed ‘ I wonder how old Holly’s
getting on,’ he thought, ‘and whether I’ll ever sec him
again or Hazel either, for the matter of that Well, I’ll give
these blighters something to think about before I’ve finished
I do feel lonely, though Ho^v hard it is to carry a secret by
yourself**

They reached the moutli of the hole and Chervil went
outside to look round When he returned he took up station
at the top of tlie run As Bigwig found a place alongside, he
noticed for the first time, in tlie opposite wall of tlie run, a

EFRAFA

kind of recess like an open cave. In this, three rabbits were
squatting. Those on either side had the tough, stolid look of
members of the Owslafa. But it was at the one in the middle
that he stared This rabbit had very dark fur — almost black.
But this was not the most remarkable thing about him. He
W’as dreadfully mutilated. His cars were nothing but shape-
less shreds, ragged at the edges, seamed with ill-knit scars
and beaded here and there with lumps of proud, bare flesh.
One eyehd was misshapen and closed askew. Despite the
cool, exciting air of the July evening, he seemed apathetic
and torpid. He kept his gaze fixed on the ground and
blinked continually. After a time, he loweied his head and
rubbed his nose on his fore-paws in a listless manner Then
he sciatched his neck and settled down in his former,
drooping position

Bigwig, his warm, impulsive nature stirred by curiosity
and pity, went across the run.

‘Who are you^’ he asked

My name is Blackavar, sir,’ replied the rabbit. He did
not look up and spoke without expression, as though he had
answered this question many times before.

Are you going to silflay ? ’ said Bigwig No doubt, he
t ought, this was some hero of the warren, wounded in a
great fight and now infirm, whose past services merited an
honourable escort when he went out.

^No, sir,’ answered the rabbit.

^Why ever nol^’ said Bigwig ‘It’s a lovely evening ’
non t silflay at this time, sir.’

dir^to*^ ^ * asked Bigwig, with his usual

»■ evening silflay, sir,’ began the

^ 11 ^1^^ - I -’ He hesitated

and fell silent

One of the C^slafa spoke ‘Get on with it,’ he said.

low Mark to see me,’ said the rabbit in his

Dun\shprl Every Mark should see how I have been

warren Tho fof my treachery in trying to leave the

warren The Council were merciful ~ the Council were

GROPING

323

merciful - the Coimcil - 1 can’t remember it, sir, I really
can’t,’ he burst out, turning to the sentry who had spoken
‘I can’t seem to remember anything ’

The sentry said nothing Bigwig, after staring m shocked
silence for a few moments, rejoined Chervil

‘He’s -supposed to tell everybody who asks,’ said Chervil,
‘but he’s getting sort of stupid after half a month of it He
tried to run away Campion caught him and brought him
back and the Council ripped up his ears and said he had to
be shown at every morning and evening silflay, as an
example to the others But if you ask me, he won’t last much
longer He’ll meet a blacker rabbit than himself one of these
nights ’

Bigwig shuddered, partly at Chervil’s tone of callous
mdifference and partly at his own memories The Mark
were fihng up now and he watched as they went past, each
darkening the entrance for a moment before hopping out
imder the hawthorn It was clear that Chevnl prided lum-
self on knowing his rabbits by name He spoke to most of
them and was at pains to show that he had some knowledge
of their personal lives It seemed to Bigwig that the answers
he got were not particularly warm or friendly, but he did
not know whether to put that down to dislike of Chervil
or merely to the lack of spirit that seemed to be common to
the rank-and-file m Efrafa He was closely on the watch - as
Blackberry had advised him to be - for any signs of dis-
affection or rebelhon, but he could see little grounds for
hope in tlie expressionless faces tliat went by At the end
came a httie group of three or four does, talking among
themselves

‘Well, arc you getting on all right with your new friends,
Nclthilta^’ said Chervil to the first, as she passed him
The doc, a pretty, long-nosed rabbit not more than three
montlis old, stopped and looked at him

‘You’ll get on yourself one day, Captain, I dare say,’ she
replied ‘Like Captain Mallow - he got on, you kno\v^ Why
don’t you send some docs on Wide PatroP’

She paused for Chervil to reply, but he made no anst#cr

3^4 EFRAFA

speak to the docs who followed Nelthilta out
into the field.

Bigivig.

him if trouble, you know,’ said Chervil. ‘A

rr^^Jr started a row at a Council

meeting. The General said they must be broken up and we

Thpx • ^ sent to us. I’ve been keeping an eye on them.

'''' themselves but Neltlulta’s taken up

fnl • ’c to have made her cheeky and resent-

if- cT?^ ^ t u,ng you saw just now. I don’t really mind that

heLty ^ top. If the young does

shonlfl nn pohte I should be much more worried : I
Thlavli iT they were up to. All the same,

tho<?p + 1 ^ what you can to get to know

jjj^g 5 does, and bring them a bit more into

abom^rnating?’ the way, what are the rules

one - anv r1 Well, if you want a doe you have

nothing- are?^ ^^^t We’re not officers for

bucks can stn ^ under orders and none of the
and we shall ^ That just leaves you and me and Avens;

all ’ y There are plenty of does, after

gotany^offieHdefrfMl3^^’i?\f"^^^^

then go ronnrl f-i, ’ t^^^ to some of the Mark and

about Blackav the land What

Owslafa wlirkeep hi^T^^ ' business. The

after that they’/take ffi'm away ’

glanccT of^d^^ mbbitJ hi^° of the wary

apprehensive How was perplexed and

Begin he must, in one wav dangerous task?

it clear that he was not rl /i ®"°ikcr, for Kehaar had made
it but to take a change "°thmg for

warren hke this must he fi.n ^°tnebody. But whom ? A

be lull of spies Probably only General

GROPING 325

Woundwort knew who the spies were Was there a spy
watching him now^

*I shall just have to trust my feelings/ he thought ‘I’ll go
round the place a bit and see if I can make any friends But I
know one thing -lil do succeed in getting any does out of
here. I’ll take that poor wretched Blackavar with me as well
Frith on a bridge' It makes me angry just to think of him
being forced to sit there hke that General Woundwort
indeed' A gun’s too good for him ’

Nibbhng and pondering, he moved slowly over the open
meadow in the evening sun After a while he found that he
was approaching a small hollow, much like the one on
Watership Down where he and Silver had found Kehaar
In this hollow there were four does, with their backs to lum
He recogmzed them as the httle gioup who had gone out
last They had evidently finished the hungry, intent stage
of feeding and were browsing and talking at leisure, and he
could see that one of them had the attention of the other
three Even more than most rabbits, Bigwig loved a story
and now he felt attracted by the prospect of heanng
something new in this strange warren He moved quietly
up to the edge of the hollow just as the doe began to
speak

At once he realized that tins was no story Yet he had
heard the like before, somewhere The rapt air, the rhytli-
mic utterance, the intent listeners - what was it they
recalled^ Then he remembered the smell of carrots, and
Silvenvced dominating the crowd in the great burrow
But these verses went to his heart as Silvcrwccd’s had
not

Long ago

The > cllou-hammcr sang, high on the tliom
He sang near a litter that tlic doc brought out to pla\,
He sang m tlic %sand and the la ttens pK> cd beIo\
Their time slipped by all under the elder bloom
But the bird flew auay and now my heart is dark
And time will never pHy m the fields again

326

EFRAFA

Long ago

The orange beetles chang to the ryc-giass stems
Ihe uandy grass was waving. A buck and doc

Ran through the meadow. They scratched a hole m the
bank.

They did what they pleased all under the liazel leaves
ut the beetles died m the frost and my heart is dark;

And 1 shall never choose a mate agam.

The frost is falling, the frost falls into mv body,
i y nostrils, my ears arc torpid under the host,
he s\vift will come m the spring, ciying ‘News' News'
tJoes, dig new holes and flow with milk foi your litters ’
shall not hear. The embryos return
mto my dulled body Across my sleep
here runs a wire fence to imprison the w'lnd.

1 shall never feel the wind blowmg agam.

silent and her three companions said
had stillness showed plainly enough that she

head of them. A flock of starlings passed over-

mto whistling, and a liquid dropping fell

startled among the Httle group, but none moved or

ihoup-bic taken up with the same melancholy

from Efrafa which, however sad, were at least far

senSSy"* Ct

exnprier,^«^ i J 7 • creatures who have

respect suffering then ht s^®h ’ w

fc”ftrtCk h '’tl!’'*' deciding what' therwe“good

any reason tn r animal that feels that it no longer has

rZiZTeZ^''"’ ^ Pornt when its

It was lis Stfte “fLmd IT'T

attnbuted to Fiver m ^ ™ ^ ^igwig had mistakenly

his judgement had maturecTw^Ti^^n^^

fiom these does* f " despair was not far

both from HoUyTn/fr“ ‘ °f Efrafa.

why. He knew that the understand

ts of overcrowding and tension

GROPING

327

in a vvaiTen show themselves first in the does They become
mfertile and aggressive But if aggression cannot mend their
troubles, then often tliey begin to drift towards the only
otlicr way out He wondered what point of this dismal path
these particular does had reached

He hopped down into tlic hollow The docs, disturbed
from their thoughts, looked at him resentfully and drew
back

‘I know you’re NelthiUa,’ said Bigwig to the pretty young
doe who had retorted to Ghci*vil m the run ‘But what’s
your name^’ he went on, turning to the doe beside her

After a pause, she answered reluctantly, ‘Thethuthm-
nang, sir ’*

‘And yours said Bigw'ig, to the doc who had spoken the
verses

She turned to him a look of such wi etchedness, so full of
accusation and suffering, that it was all he could do not to
beg her then and there to believe that he was her secret
fnend and that he hated Efrafa and the authonty which he
represented Nelthilta’s rejoinder to Chervil m the run had
been full of hatred, but this doe’s gaze spoke of wrongs
beyond her power to expiess As Bigwig stared back at her,
he suddenly recalled Holly’s description of the great yellow
hrududu that had torn open the earth above the destroyed
warren ‘That might have met a look like this,’ he thought
Then the doe answered, ‘ My name is Hyzenthlay, sir ’

‘Hyzentlilay^’ said Bigwig, startled out of his self-
possession ‘Then it was you who He stopped It might
be dangerous to ask whether she remembered speaking to
Holly But whether she did or not, here, evidently, was the
rabbit who had told Holly and his companions about the
troubles of Efrafa and the discontent of the does If he
remembered Holly’s story rightly, she had already made
some sort of attempt to leave the warren ‘But,’ he thought,
as he met once more her desolate eyes, ‘what is she good for
now^’

♦Thethuthinnang Movement-of-Ieaves The first and last syllables
arc stressed, as in the phrase *Once m a way*

EPRAFA

328

^ ‘May we have permission to go, sir?’ asked Nelthilta.
The company of officers absolutely overpowers us, you
see we find a little of it goes an awfully long way.’

Oh - yes - certainly - by all means,’ replied Bigwig in
confusion. He remained where he was as the does hopped
away, iselthilta raising her voice to remark, ‘Wdiat a great

oaf f and half looking round in the evident hope that he
would take her up.

Oh well, there's one of them wdth some spirit left,
anyway, he thought, as he made his way out to the sentries
He spent some time talking to the sentries and learning
ow they were organized. It was a depressmgly efficient
system Each sentry could reach his neighbour in a matter
ot moments; and the appropriate stamping signal - for they
a more than one - would bring out the officers and the
reserves If necessary, the Owslafa could be alerted in
a ost no time at all and so could Captain Campion, or
w a Lever officer might be patrolling the outskirts of the
warren Since only one Mark fed at a time, there could
^ ^ confusion about where to go if an alarm were
given ne of the sentnes. Marjoram, told him about the
attempted escape by Blackavar.

He pretended to feed his way out as far as he could,’ said
1 ai^oram, and then he made a dash. He actually managed
o own two sentries who tried to stop him; and I

ias own has ever done as much as
^ uiad, but Campion had got the alarm, you
simply moved round and intercepted him
thp f ^ ^ fields. Of course, if he hadn’t smashed up
hghtly^’ ICS t e Council might have let him off more

‘Do you like the wnrren life?’ asked Bigwig

Marior;^^ Owsla,’ answered

still I’ve donp^tw officer it’ll be better

gttbng youBeir

are a strong bunch, don’t youi”

GROPING

329

‘Yes, I do/ said Bigwig with feeling It struck him that
Marjoram evidently did not know that he himself was a
newcomer to Efrafa At any rate, he showed neither jealousy
nor resentment Bigwig was beginning to realize that in this
place, nobody was told more than was good for him, or got
to Imow much, except what was before his nose Marjoram
probably supposed that he, Bigwig, had been promoted out
of another Mark

As darkness fell, just before the end of the silflay. Captain
Campion came up the field with a patrol of three and
Chervil ran out to meet him on the sentry-hne Bigwig
joined them and listened to the talk He gathered that
Campion had been out as far as the iron road but had
found nothing unusual

‘Don’t you ever go beyond the iron road^’ he asked

‘ Not very often,’ answered Campion ‘ It’s wet, you know
~ bad rabbit country I have been there, but on these
ordinary circuit patrols I’m really looking nearer home
My job IS partly to notice anything new that the Council
ought to know about, and paitly to make sure we pick up
anyone who bolts Like that miserable Blackavar - and he
gave me a bite I shan’t forget, before I got him down On
a fine evemng hke this, I generally go down as far as the
bank of the iron road and then work along this side of it
Or sometimes I go out in the other direction, as far as tlie
barn It all depends what’s wanted By the way, I saw the
General earher this evening and I rather think he means to
take you on patrol in two or three days’ time, as soon as
you’ve settled down and your Mark have come off the
dawn and evening silflay ’

‘Why wait for that^’ said Bigwig with all the entliusiasm
he could assume ‘Why not sooner^’

‘Well, a Mark generally keeps a full Owsla when it’s on
dawn and evening silflay The rabbits are more lively at
those times, you see, and need more supervision But a
Mark tliat’s on ni-Frith and fu-Inl6 silflay can generally
spare Ov\ sla for a Wide Patrol Now, I’ll leave you here I’ve
got to take my lot to the Cnxa and report to the General ’

ggQ efrafa

As soon as the Mark had gone underground and Black-
had been taken away by his escort, Bigvwg excuse

2lV0ir iictvi. j ^ ^ ^ -

himself to Chervil and Avens and went to his own burro •
Although the rank-and-file were cramped undergrouno,
the sentries had two laige, roomy bunows to themseiv^,
while each officer had a private burrow. By himsel at a ,
Bigwig settled down to think over his pioblcm.

The difficulties were bewildering. He was fairly
that with Kehaar’s help he himself could escape from " ^
whenever he wished. But how in the world was he to rin
a bunch of does out - supposing that any were rca y to r
It? If he took it upon himself to call the sentries in during
silflay, Chervil would see what he had done in a matter o
moments The only possibility, then, was to make the rea
out during the day: to wait until Chervil was asleep an
then order a sentry to leave his post at the mouth of ^
the holes Bigwig considered He could see no flaw in t i
idea Then the thought came to him, ‘And what about
Blackavar^’ Blackavar presumably spent the day un er
guard in some special burrow Probably hardly anyone
knew where - no one knew anything in Efrafa - an
certainly no one would tell So he would have to leave
Blackavar. no realistic plan could include him

‘I’ll be Jiggered if I leave him,’ muttered Bigwig to
himself ‘I know Blackberry would say I was a fool. Sti ,
he’s not here and I’m doing this myself. But suppose
wreck the whole thing because of Blackavar? Oh, Frith m a
barn' What a business’’

He thought until he reahzed that he was tliinking in
circles After a time, he fell asleep. When he woke, he ,
tell that It was moonlight outside, fine and still It occurre
to him that perhaps he might start his venture from the
other end - by persuadmg some of the does to join him ana
working out a plan afterwards, perhaps with their help
He went down the run until he came upon a young rabbit
sleeping as best he could outside an over-crowded burrow.
He woke him

‘Do you Imow Hyzenthlay?’ he asked.

GROPING 331

‘Oh yes^ sir/ rephed the rabbit, with a rather pathetic
attempt to sound brisk and ready

‘Go and find her and tell her to come to my burrow/ said
Bigwig ‘No one else is to come with her Do you under-
stand^’

‘Yes, sir ’

When the youngster had scurried off, Bigwig returned to
his burrow, wondering whether there would be any
suspicion It seemed unlikely From what Chervil had said,
it was common enough for Efiafan officers to send for does
If he were questioned he had only to play up He lay down
and waited

In the dark, a rabbit came slowly up the run and stopped
at the entrance to the burrow There was a pause
‘Hyzenthlay*^’ said Bigwig
‘ I am Hyzenthlay ’

‘ I want to talk to you,’ said Bigwig
‘ I am in the Mark, sir, and under your orders But you
have made a mistake ’

‘No, I haven’t,’ rephed Bigwig ‘You needn’t be afraid
Come m here, close beside me ’

Hyzenthlay obeyed He could feel her fast pulse Her
body was tense her eyes were closed and her claws dug
into the floor

‘Hyzenthlay,’ whispered Bigwig m her ear, ‘listen care-
fully You remember that many days ago now, four rabbits
came to Efrafa m the evening One had very pale grey fur
and one had a healed rat-bite m his foreleg You talked witli
their leader - his name was Holly I know what he told you ’
She turned her head in fear ‘How do you know’^^’
‘Never mind Only listen to me ’

Then Bigwig spoke of Hazel and Fiver, of tlic destruction
of the Sandleford warren and the journey to Watcrship
Down Hyzenthlay neither moved nor interrupted

‘The rabbits who talked to you that evening/ said Bigwig,
wdio told you about the w^arren tliat ^s as dcstro) cd and of
how they had come to ask for does from Efrafa - do vou
know what became of tlicm'^’

efrafa

332

m ^ icply was no more than tlie faintest murmur

in ins ear.

Gantnm°Ph^^T^^ 7 ^ ^eard. They escaped the next evening
Gaptain Charlock was killed pursuing them.’

Thfn^^r^' ""7 Hyzenthlay?

ine next day, I mean?’

^ officer to spare, with Bugloss

under arrest and Charlock dead.’ ^

far aw?v ^^t^^ned to us safely. One of them is not

They arp With Hazel and Fiver and several more.

come I cTioIt u Efrafa - as many as I can get to
morning ’ ^ them a message tomorrow

* How ? ’

Kehaai^ \ j well.’ Bigwig told her about
and he could ^ Hyzenthlay made no reply

he had said n ° t. ^ i, ^he was considering all that

j ^o you beheve me ^ ’

Yes, I believe you.’

:Vofie r. iVaSr

How?’

warren v^s a ~ une who knew that that

SometimTi eantlf r ?" ^ "^bbit.

my heart is in the frost thmgs too. but not often now, for

well? We need you^Efraf “ P^^'suade your friends as

the earth nearby and a worm moving in

sound of some small cr<^^ ^ down the tunnel came the
outside He waited ouiedTr Pattering through the grass
he should not upset her. that it was vital that

GROPING

333

At last she spoke again, so low in his ear that the words
seemed barely more than broken cadences of breath-
ing

‘We can escape from Efrafa The danger is very great, but
in that we can succeed It is beyond that I cannot see
Confusion and fear at nightfall - and then men, men, it is
all things of men* A dog - a rope that snaps like a dry
branch A rabbit - no, it is not possible * - a rabbit tliat rides
in a hrududu* Oh, I have become foolish - tales for kittens
on a summer evening No, I cannot see as I did once it is
like the shapes of trees beyond a field of ram ’

‘Well, you’d better come and meet this friend of mine,’
said Bigwig ‘He talks just hke that, and I’ve come to trust
him, so I trust you too If you feel we’re going to succeed,
that’s fine But what I’m asking is whether you’ll bring your
friends to join us ’

After another silence, Hyzenthlay said,

‘My courage -my spirit it’s so much less than it was I’m
afraid to let you rely on me ’

‘ I can tell that What is it that’s worn you down ^ Weren’t
you the leader of the does who went to the Council ^ ’
‘There was myself and Thethuthinnang I don’t luiow
what’s happened to the other does who ^vere with us We
were all m the Right Fore Mark then, you know I’ve still
got the Right Fore mark, but I’ve been marked again since
Blackavar - vou saw him ^ ’

‘Yes, of course ’

‘He was in that Mark Fie was our fncnd and encouraged
us Only a night or two after the does went up to speak to
the Council, he tried to run away, but he was caught
You’ve seen what they did to him That was the same even-
ing that your fnends came and tlie next night they escaped
After that, the Council sent for us docs once more The
General said that no one else would have the chance to run
awny We were to be split up among the Marks, no more
than Uvo to each Maik I don’t know why they left Tiic-
thuthinnang and me together Perhaps tlicv didn’t stop to
think Efrafa’s like tliat, ^ou know The order was “Two

efrafa

334

to each Mark so as long as ihc order was carried out it

^ ^ rriattcr which two. Now I’m frightened

and I feel the Council aie always watching.’

Yes, but Pm here now,’ said Bigwig.

^ Ihc Council are very cunning.’

They 11 need to be. We’ve got some rabbits who arc far
more cunmng, believe me El-ahrairah’s Ousla, no less

Council ~ ^^^ithilta with you when you went to the

she was born here, m the Near Hind. She’s got
P rit, you know, but she’s young and silly. It excites her to

she’s a friend of rabbits who are
wh^fi-h ^^tiels She doesn’t realize what she’s doing or

really like. It’s all a kind of game to
far anrl ^ officers and so on One day she’ll go too

with a trouble again. She couldn’t be trusted

escape^’^^^^ does in this Mark would be ready to join an

Thlavh' ^ ^ great deal of discontent, you know But

we run - nrJ until a very short time before

a secret in a dthilta, but all of them No one can keep

I must mak there are spies everywhere You and

thuthinnanp-^ ^ ourselves and tell no one but The-
us when th? time mmes does to come with

tedl/'upotTw^aft,*^* stumbled, quite unexpec-

bear his burden. ^ account and help to

the chanerto^un if

‘ When^’ them ready to take it ’

the others will meet^S and

the main thiner that follows But

Woundwort wSi’t be eL ! ’^‘1 ^Sht for us. Even

Hy^c„thlay was ’ .

again and Bigwig reahzed with

GROPING 335

adnuratxon that she was going over what he had said and
searclnng for flaws

*But how many can tlic bird fight she said at last *Can
he drive them all away^ This is going to be a big break-out
and make no mistake, Thlayh, the General himself will be
after us witli the best rabbits he has We can’t go on runmng
away for ever They won’t lose track of us and sooner or
later they’ll overtake us ’

‘I told you our rabbits were more cunning than the
Council I don’t tlimk you’d really imderstand this part,
however carefully I explained Have you ever seen a river

‘What IS a nver^’

‘Well, there you are I can’t explain But I promise you
we shan’t have to run far We shall actually disappear
before the Owsla’s eyes - if they’re there to see I must say
I’m looking forward to that ’

She said nothing and he added, ‘You must trust me,
Hyzenthlay Upon my life, we’re going to vanish I’m not
deceiving you ’

‘If you were wrong, those who died quickly would be the
lucky ones ’

‘No one’s going to die My friends have prepared a trick
that El-ahrairah himself would be proud of ’

‘If it IS to be at sunset,’ she said, ‘it must be tomorrow or
tlie next mght In two days the Mark loses the evemng
silflay You know that^’

‘Yes, I’d heard Tomorrow then Why wait longer^ But
there is one other thing We’re going to take Blackavar ’

‘Blackavar^ How^ He is guarded by Council police ’

‘ I know It adds very much to the risk, but I’ve decided
that I can’t leave him behind What I mean to do is this
Tomorrow evening, when the Mark silflay, you and The-
thuthinnang must keep the does near you - as many as
you’ve got together - ready to run I shall meet the bird a
little way out in the meadow and tell him to attack the
sentries as soon as he sees me go back into the hole Then I
shall come back and deal with Blackavar’s guards myself
They won’t be expecting anything of the sort I’ll have

33 ^

EFRAFA

Mm out in a moment and join you. There’ll be complete
confusion and in that confusion we’ll run. The bird will
attack anyone who tries to follow us. Remember, we go
straight down to the great arch on the iron road. My
friends will be waiting there. You’ve only to follow me - I’U
lead the way.’

Captain Campion may be on patrol.’

‘Oh, I do hope he is,’ said Bigwig. ‘I really do.’

Blackavar may not run at once. He will be as startled as
the guards ’

^ Is it possible to warn Tiim ? ’

No. His guards never leave him and they take him out
to silflay alone.’

‘For how long will he have to hve hke that?’

•77 been to every Mark in turn, the Council

Will lall Mm. We all feel sure of that.’

‘mm ^ I go without Mm.’

inlayh, you are very brave. Are you cunning too? AH
depend on you tomorrow.’
eU can you see anytMng wrong with the plan?’

■pf o ^ ^ only a doe who has never been out of
®°^®tMng unexpected happens?’

Kisk IS risk. Don’t you want to get out and come and

‘nh

, hlaylil Shall we mate with whom we choose and
dig our own burrows and bear our Utters ahve?’

you shaU: and teU stories in the Honeycomb and sil-
liay whenever you feel hke it. It’s a fine life, I promise

*^’ 5 ? I’ll run any risk.’

stroke of luck that you should be in tMs Mark,

my W cSl " T tonight, I was a

‘I’ll VO barW^ whatever I was going to do.’

0.O other rabbit a*Vordto“w°'^H °

It’s not matinv time Ju. ^ wonder why you sent for me
say you mado n • I now, we car

forget to say that were disappointed. Don’

APPROACHING THUNDER 337

‘I won’t Yes, go now, and have them ready at silflay
tomorrow evening I shan’t fail you ’

When she had gone, Bigwig felt desperately tired and
lonely He tried to hold m his mind tliat his friends were not
far off and that he would see them again in less tlian a day
But he knew that all Efrafa lay between himself and Hazel
His thoughts broke up into the dismal fancies of anxiety
He fell into a half-dream, in which Captain ^Campion--
turned into a seagull and flew screaming over the river,
until he woke in panic and dozed again, to see Captain
Chervil driving Blackavar before him towards a shining
wire in the grass And over all, as big as a horse in a field,
aware of all that passed from one end of the world to the
other, brooded the gigantic figure of General Woundwort
At last, worn out witlr his apprehensions, he passed into a
deep sleep where even his fear could not follow, and lay
without sound or movement in the sohtary burrow

36 Approaching Thunder

We was just gojn’ ter scarper
When along comes Bill *Arper,

So we never done nuffin’ at all

Music Hall Song

Bigwig wavered gradually up from sleep, like a bubble of
marsh gas from the bed of a still stream There was another
rabbit beside him in the burrow - a buck He started up at
once and said, ‘Who is it^’

‘Avens,’ rephed the other ‘Time for silflay, Thlayh
Larks have gone up You’re a sound sleeper ’

* I dare say,’ said Bigwig ‘Well, I’m ready ’ He was about
to lead the way down the run, but Avens’ next words
brought him to a halt
‘Who’s Fiver said Avens

EFRAFA

338

Bigwig grew tense. ‘What did you say?

‘I said, Who’s Fiver?’

‘ How should I know ? ’ .

‘Well, you were talking in your sleep. You kept say g?
“Ask Fiver, ask Fiver.” I wondered who he was.

‘ Oh, I see. A rabbit I knew once. He used to forete

weather and so on.’ ,,

‘Well, he could do it now, then. Can you smell

thunder?’ . nattle

Bigwig sniffed Mixed with the scents of grass r ^

came the warm, thick smell of a heavy cloud-mass, s
off He perceived it uneasily. Almost aU animals
turbed by the approach of thunder, which oppresses
with its mounting tension and breaks the natural rh}^ m
which they live. Bigwig’s inchnation was to go bac o
burrow, but he had little doubt that no mere trifle 1
thundery morning would be allowed to interfere wit
time-table of an Efrafan Mark.

He was right. Chervil was already at the
squatting opposite Blackavar and his escort He 00
round as his officers came up the run. ,

‘Come on, Thlayli,’ he said. ‘Sentries are out alreaay.

Does the thunder worry you ? ’

‘ It does rather,’ replied Bigwig /v

‘It won’t break today,’ said Chervil. ‘It’s a long way o
yet. I’d give it until tomorrow evening. Anyway, don t
the Mark see it affects you Nothing’s to be altered u cs
tlie General says so.’ i, f

‘’Couldn’t wake him up,’ said Avens, with a touc o
malice ‘ There was a doe in your burrow last night, Thlay h
wasn’t there?’

‘Oh, was there?’ said Chervil. ‘Which one^’

‘Hyzen thlay,’ replied Bigwig. . ,

‘Oh, tlic marli tharn^"'’' said Chervil ‘Funny, I didn t
tliink she was ready ’

* She wasn’t,’ said Bigwig. ‘ I made a mistake But if ynn

~ a doc 'Tliarn - stupefied, distraught. In this particular
conic, t, die nearest translation might be ‘the maiden all forlorn’.

APPROACHING THUNDER 339

remember, you asked me to do what I could to get to know
the a\vkward squad and bring them a bit more under
control, so I kept her talking for a time, just the same ’
‘Get anywhere

‘Hard to say, really,’ said Bigwig, ‘but I’ll keep at
It’

He spent the time while the Mark went out m decidmg
upon the |)est and quickest way to enter the hole and attack
Blackavar’s escort He w^ould have to put one of them out ol
action in no time at all and then go straight for the other,
who would be that much less unprepared If he had to
fight him, it would be better to avoid doing it between
Blackavar and the mouth of the hole, for Blackavar would
be as bewildered as the rest and might bolt back down the
run If he was going to bolt anywhere he must bolt out-
wards Of course, with any luck, the second guard might
make off underground without fighting at all, but one
could not count on that Efrafan Owslafa were not given to
runmng away

As he went out into the field, he wondered whether he
would be spotted by Kehaar The arrangement had been
that Kehaar would find him whenever he might come above
ground on the second day

He need not have worried Kehaar had been over Effafa
since before dawn As soon as he saw the Mark come up, he
alighted a httle way out m the field, half-way between the
undergrowth and the sentry-hne, and began pecking about
m the grass Bigwig mbbled his way slowly towards him and
then settled down to feed without a glance m his direction
After a while, he sensed that Kehaar was behind him, a
little to one side

‘ Meester Pigvig, I t’lnk ees not goot ve talk much Meester
’Azel, say vat you do ^ Vat you vant ^ ’

‘I want two things, Kehaar - both at sunset tonight
First, our rabbits must be down by the big arch I shall
come tlirough that arch with tlie does If we’re pursued,
you and Hazel and the rest must be ready to fight The boal-
thing, IS It still there

EFRAFA

say J*"’ I tell Meester ’Azel vat you

It’s tembl^importSt^n second thing; and

in the field ? ThevVf- f] ^ rabbits out beyond us,

here. Then I shafl sunset, you meet me

hole As soontfv'^'' go down a

terrify them drivp^^^ attack the sentries -

They must be driven'^ff^^
almost at once and then

running with me a nr? uf mothers - will start

Sut we may very well iT^ straight down to the arch,
pens, can

‘SeSj TWst”:,- '’T”° ^*°P ’

all right ? ’ ^ the others - are they

PluebelL ’e sav dam’ good fella. Meester

two for ’im ’ Prmg one mudder for everyone else and

this when he^I^ChemTl^ appropriate reply to

ftw speald„:“Lrr„\*Lfr.i°ri:t

-ixj. LJnpr\riMc^ ^ ^ ixt;

n patch of clover As began biting busily at

above their head <5 nn^i ^ orvil came up, Kehaar flew low

^ Che^l looked

Bi^vig flying gull and then turned tc

‘^rpartcufS °f those birds?’ he asked
, ‘They^omeS attack'’'''^

kittens too,’ said Chervil know, and rabbit

?orIS‘4r^: ^

hard enough to Shim a pla)*l cuff

‘That’s twe ™*? “for.

' ' o-'- Thlavr^^ than I am/ he said ^Bu

to being an Efrafan officer ‘!‘'=''<=’s more than weigh:

ftficcr. And it doesn’t alter the Id

APPROACHING 1 HUNGER 34J

that those birds can be dangerous Anyway, it’s not the
season for them and that’s odd for a start It’ll have to be
reported ’

'Whatever for^’

‘Because it’s unusual Everytlnng unusual has to be
reported If we don’t report it and someone else does, nice
fools we shall look when we have to say we saw it We
couldn’t say we didn’t - several of the Mark have seen it
In fact, I shall go and report it now Silflay’s nearly over,
so if I’m not back in time, you and Avens had better see
the Mark underground yourselves ’

As soon as Chervil had left him, Bigwig went to look for
Hyzenthlay He found her in the hollow with Thethuthin-
nang Most of tlie Mark did not appear to be unduly
affected by the thunder, which was still distant, as Chervil
had said The two does, however, were subdued and ner-
vous Bigwig told tliem what he had arranged with Kehaar
‘But will this bird really attack the sentries^’ asked
Thethuthinnang ‘ I’ve never heard of anything hke that ’

‘ It will, I promise you Get the does together as soon as
silflay begins this evemng When I come out with Blackavar,
the sentries will be running for cover ’

‘And which way do we run^’ asked Thethuthinnang
Bigwig took them well out into the field, so that tiiey
could see the distant arch in the embankment about four
hundred yards away

‘We’re bound to meet Campion,’ said Thethuthinnang
‘You know that^’

‘I beheve he had some trouble stopping Blackavar,’
replied Bigwig, ‘so I’m sure he won’t be good enough for
me and the bird Look, there’s Avens bringing in the
sentries - we’ll have to go Now, don’t worry Chew your
pellets and get some sleep If you can’t sleep, sharpen up
your claws you may need them ’

The Mark went underground and Blackavar was taken
away by the escort Bigwig returned to his burrow and tned
to put the coming evening out of his mind After some time
he gave up the idea of spending the day alone He made a

342

EFRAFA

round of the lower burrows, joined a game of bob-stone?,
lieard two stories and told one himself, passed hraka in the
itc and then, on an impulse, went to Chervil and obtained
his consent to visit another Mark He wandered across the
himself in the middle of the ni-Frith silllay
Flank Mark and went underground with
em heir officers shared a single large burrow and here
tie met some experienced veterans and hstened with
interest to their stones of Wide Patrols and other exploits,
in the mid-afternoon he came back to the Near Hind

relaxed and confident, and slept untfl one of the sentries
woke him for silflay

Blackavar was already slumped in
a cove. Squatting beside Chervil, Bigwig watched the

unth ^ ^y^^tithlay and Thethuthinnang passed him

They looked tense but steady. Chervil
tollowed the last rabbit

waited until he was sure that Chervil had had
outrl. "l from the hole. Then, with a last,

him<!plf°^r, u Blackavar was sitting, he went out

hind Ipcr m sunset dazzled him and he sat up on his

his combing the fur along one side of

momenta / accustomed to the light. A few

°Th?s flying ncrol the field.

m Z ’ ‘hL we go.*

^ behind him.

imder the bushe^lill you'^ ’

-d looked round

37 The Thunder Builds Up

Youk’n hide dc ficr, but w*at >ou gwinc do wd dc smoke ^

Joel Chandler Hams Proverbs of Unde Remus

Bigwig’s first impulse was to fight Woundwort on tlie spot
He realized immediately that tins would be futile and would
only bring the whole place round his ears There was
nothing to do but obey He followed Woundwort through
the undergrowth and into the shade of the bndle-path
Despite the sunset, the evening seemed heavy with cloud
and among the trees it was sultry and grey The thunder
was building up He looked at Woundwort and waited

You were out of the Near Hind burrows this afternoon^ ’
began Woundwort

‘Yes, sir/ repbed Bigwig He still disliked addressmg
Woundwort as ‘sir’, but since he was supposed to be an
Bfrafan officer, he could not very well do otherwise How-
ever, he did not add that Chervil had given him permission
He had not been accused of anything as yet

‘Where did you go^’

Bigwig swallowed his annoyance No doubt Woundwort
knew perfectly well where he had been

‘I went to the Left Flank Mark, sir I was m their
burrows ’

* Why did you go ^

To pass the time and learn something from hstemng to
the officers ’

‘Did you go anywhere else*^’

‘No, sir ’

‘You met one of the Left Flank Owsla - a rabbit named
Groundsel ’

‘Very likely, I didn’t learn all their names ’

‘Have you ever seen that rabbit before^’

_ ‘No, sir How could I*?’

t

EFRAFA

344

There was a pause.

‘May I ask what this is all about, sir?’ said Bigwig.

‘ I’ll ask the questions,’ said Woundwort ‘ Groundsel has
seenjJOM before. He knew you by the fur on your head. Where
do you think he saw you?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘Have you ever run from a fox?’

‘Yes, sir, a few days ago, while I was coining here ’

‘You led it on to some other rabbits and it killed one of
them. Is that correct?’

‘ I didn’t intend to lead it on to them. I didn’t know they
were there ’

‘You didn’t tell us anything about this?’

‘It never occurred to me. There’s nothing wrong
running from a fox.’

‘You’ve caused the death of an Efrafan officer ’

Quite by accident And the fox might have got hhu
an’^’way, even if J’d not been there ’

‘It wouldn’t,’ said Woimdwort. ‘Mallow wasn’t the
rabbit to run on to a fox. Foxes aren’t dangerous, to rabbits
who know their business.’

‘ I’m sorry the fox got him, sir. It was a stroke of very bad
luck ’

Woundwort stared at him out of his great, pale eyes.
‘Then one more question, Thlayli That patrol was on
the track of a band of rabbits - strangers. What do you know
about them^’

‘I saw their tracks too, about that time. I can’t tell yo
any more than that.’

‘You weren’t with them’’

‘ d been with them, sir, would I have come to Efrafa '

to you I’d ask the questions. You can’t tell n
\%hcre they might have gone^’

‘I’m afraid I can’t, sir.’

Y oundwort stopped staring and sat silent for some timi

General was waiting for him to ask

to'rcmain aknf him/Jm''

THE THUNDER BUILDS UP 345

‘Now tlicrc^s another thing,’ said Woundwort at la:>t
‘About this wlute bird in the field this morning You’re not
afraid of these birds ^ ’

‘No, sir Tve never heard of one hurting a rabbit ’

But they have been known to, for all your wide experi-
ence, Thlayh Anyway, why did you go near it^’

Bigwig thought quickly ‘To tell you the truth, sir, I
think I may have been trying to m^e an impression on
Captain Chervil ’

Well, you could have a worse reason But if you’re going
to impress anyone, you’d better start with me The day after
tomorrow, I’m taking out a Wide Patrol myself It will cross
the iron road and try to pick up traces of those rabbits - the
rabbits Mallow would have found if you hadn’t gone and
blundered into him So you’d better come along and
show us how good you are then ’

‘Very well, sir, I shall be glad to ’

There was another silence This time Bigwig decided to
niake as if to go He did so, and immediately a fresh question
stopped him short

When you were with Hyzenthlay, did she tell you why
she was put into the Near Hind Mark?’

‘Yes, sir ’

I’m not at all sure the trouble’s over there, Thlayh
Keep an eye on it If she’ll talk to you, so much the better
Perhaps those does are settling down and perhaps they
aren’t I want to know ’

‘Very well, sir,’ said Bigwig

‘That’s all,’ said Woundwort ‘You’d better get back to
your Mark now ’

Bigwig made his way into the field The silflay was almost
over, the sun had set and it was growing dark Heavy
clouds dimmed the after-hght Kehaar was nowhere to be
seen The sentries came in and the Mark began to go
underground Sitting alone m the grass, he waited until the
last rabbit had disappeared There was still no sign of
Kehaar He hopped slowly to the hole Entering, he knocked
into one of the pohee escort, who was blockmg the mouth to

EFRAFA

346

make sure that Blackavar did not try to bolt as he was taken
dowm.

‘Get out of my way, you dirty little tale-bearing
bloodsucker,’ said Bigwig. ‘Now go and report that/

he added over his shoulder, as he went down to his
burrow.

As the light faded from the thick sky. Hazel slipped once
more across the hard, bare earth under the railway arch,
came out on the north side and sat up to listen. A few
moments later Fiver joined him and they crept a little way
into the field, towards Efrafa. The air was close and warm
an smelt of rain and^ripenmg barley. There was no sound
Close by, but behind and below them, from the water-
meadow on the nearer bank of the Test, came faintly
the shrill, incessant fussing of a pair of sandpipers. Kehaar
Hew down from the top of the embankment.

ou re sure he said tonight?’ asked Hazel for the third

time

r Kehaar. ‘Maybe dey catch ’im. Ees

finish Meester Pigvig. You t’ink^’

Hazel made no reply*

'Clouds and thunder That place
p e e It s like the bottom of a river. Anything could
be^happping m there ’

Suppose he’s dead? Suppose they’re,
trying to make him tell them -’

Fiver. ‘Hazel-rah, you won’t help him by
nothiifcr worrying Quite hkely there’s

Anwvav ^ tight for some reason

and ourVabfih ^ fome tonight ~ that’s certain now -
moriov; at ZiT here Kehaar can go up to-

‘ I dare <;T5r > bring us another message ’

Just ■suppose hlTvcre^t?^’" said Hazel, ‘but I hate to go
and ril stay here ’ come. Let Silver take them back

^ou couldn t do any good by yom-self. Hazel, even if

THE THUNDER BUILDS UP

347

your leg was all right You’re trying to cat grass that
isn’t there Why don’t you give it a chance to grow^’

They returned under the arch and as Silver came out of
the bushes to meet them, they could hear the other rabbits
stimng uneasily among the nettles

‘We’ll have to give it up for tonight, Silver,’ said Hazel
We must get them back over tlic river now, before it’s
completely dark ’ ^

‘Hazel-rah,’ said Pipkm, as he slipped by, ‘it - it is going
to be all nght, isn’t it^ Bigwig will come tomorrow, won’t
he^’

‘Of course he wll,’ said Hazel, ‘and we’ll all be here to
help him And I’ll tell you something else, Hlao-roo If he
doesn’t come tomorrow, I’m going into Efrafa myself’

I’ll come with you, Hazel-rah,’ said Pipkin

Bigwig crouched m his burrow, pressed against Hyzenth-
^y He was trembling, but not with cold the stuffy runs of
me Mark were dense witli tliunder the air felt like a deep
unft of leaves Bigwig was close to utter nervous exhaustion
iiince leaving General Woundwort, he had become more
and more deeply entangled m all the age-old terrors of the
conspirator How much had Woundwort discovered ^
Clearly, there was no information that failed to reach him
He knew that Hazel and the rest had come from the north
and crossed the iron road He knew about the fox He knew
that a gull, which should have been far away at this time of
year, was hanging round Efrafa and that he, Bigwig, had ,
dehberately been near it He knew that Bigwig had made a
friend of Hyzenthlay How long could it be before he took
the final step of fitting all these things together^ Perhaps he
had already done so and was merely waiting to arrest them
in his own time‘s

Woundwort had every advantage He sat secure at the
JimcUon of all paths, seeing clearly down each, while he,
Bigwig, ludicrous in his efforts to measure up to him as an '
enemy, clambered clumsily and ignorantly through the

EFRAFA

dicf betraying himself with every movement. He

if he ^ set in touch with Kehaar again. Even

rahhW be able to bring the

sotted LT.

would nipi^ on patrol? To speak to Blackavar

Throuo-h ^ear Kehaar would be suspect.

was leaKnT- o«!

and Th^h^ whispered Hyzenthlay, ‘do you think you and I
SL ^^ay toight^ If we fought

clear bSre ^ ef the run we might be able to get ,

*I’m frip-hffx^ ri ‘What makes you ask that?*

before the^silflav

attacked thp ^'-^bey were ready to run when the bird

know about the pl2 ~ NePh"? happened. They all

be lonv bpfr>r/^ i-u r^ i^clthilta and the rest - and it can t

them thafS^^^^ course we’ve told

youWomI m beeping quiet and that

now: she says sS’U do
can be kept m Ffrif

is a spy althnuo-K t, ^ u even possible that one of the does

we could. We mav^all ^bose them as carefully as

ing ’ y be arrested before tomorrow morn-

in g«ung“ut,!°,?’'^ ‘"’'f ’y- He could certainly succeed
the sentry - unle« h^ of resolute, sensible does But

at once Tnd he ?o^ no“r

river in the dark P °f Priding the way to the

pursuit might follow ^ possible that the

.niddlc S his u°"°I^TT ‘^■'= P'^ni' bridge and into the

he would have come ou^ orEf"®f

couple of docs bccaueif* t., ^ P'b'afa with no more than a

others would not know bailed. Silver and the

'vould know oX XThr^'X'^ "> “dure They

•Xo V „ „ ^ . ! be had run away.

’ = * Stve up yet.- he said.

gently as he

THE THUNDER BUILDS UP 349

could ‘ It’s the thunder and the waiting that make you feel
so much upset Listen, I promise you that by this time
tomorrow you’ll be out of Efrafa for ever and the others
With you Npw go to sleep here for a htde while and then
go back and help Thethuthinnang Keep thinking of those
high downs and all that I told you We’ll get there - our
troubles won’t last much longer ’

As she fell asleep beside him. Bigwig wondered how on
earth he was going to fulfil this promise and whether they
would be woken by the Council pohce ‘If we are,’ he
thought, ‘I’ll fight until they tear me to bits They’ll make
no Blackavar out of me ’

When he woke, he found that he was alone in the burrow
For a moment he wondered whether Hyzenthlay had been
arrested Then he felt sure that the Owslafa could not have
removed her while he slept She must have woken and
slipped back to Thethuthinnang without disturbing hihi
It was a httle before dawn, but the oppression in the air
had not lessened He shpped up the rim to the entrance
Moneywort, the sentry on duty, was peering uneasily out
of the mouth of the hole, but turned as he approached
I wish It would ram, sir,’ he said ‘The thunder’s enough
to turn the grass sour, but not much hope of it breaking
before the evening, I’d say ’

Tt’s bad luck for the Mark’s last day on dawm and
evening,’ replied Bigwig ‘Go and wake Captain Chcrv’-il
I’ll take your place here until the Mark come up ’

When Moneywort had gone, Bigwig sat in the mouth of
the hole and sniffed the heav^^ air The sky seemed as close
as the tops of the trees, cov cred w ith still cloud and flushed
on the morning side with a land, foxy glow Not a Hrk uas
up, not a tlirush singing The field before him was empty
and motionless The longing to run came o\cr him In less
tinn no time he could be doum to the nreh It was a safe
bet that Campion and his patrol uoiild not be out in
weather like this Evciy living creature up and down the

efrafa

350

copses must be muted, pressed down as though
j ^ gi’eat, soft paw. Nothing would be moving, for the
hTJ I and instincts were blurred and not to

fiicrl^f ^ ^^nuch and be silent. But a

better chlnce!^ ^nt hope for a

Bigwi^°^^ starlight ears, send me a sign!’ said

in the run behind him. It was the
Blackpi^rar'^i”^^^ pnsoner. In the thundery twilight,

nose w rt ^ ^ore sick and dejected than ever. His
out whites of his eyes showed. Bigwig went

back. ^ mouthful of clover and brought it

‘That^ j Blackavar, ‘Have some clover.’

one to see Bartsia,’ said the otlier. ‘There’s no

let alone the pr^ne?”"®^ ®

place'Jchei^? clover and Bigwig took up his usual

tL Mark go Lt

seemed hesitant and Chervil himself

httlTto safi. brisk manner. He had

nang and Hvren^M He let both Thethuthin-

^ . Hyzenthlay sfo bv in i ..a.*

‘Under ^ impudently at him.

You may htL ‘Brace up, now,

° Wha? ■«'bo knows 5»

‘Does might'or"^''^-' Chervil sharply,

before very much mid Nelt&lfa, ‘and

underground.’ Secrets go faster than moles

Chervil looked ^ tlSughhe'^^ ““ ^ >“°™ont

‘I wonder wheik„. ^ Somg to call her back

footf said Bigivig ‘l’thmk°r ^ 1°°’" “ °ff kind

•Come on,^Zn ’ sa^7ri ™ ^ 'bom in it.’

be able to see much betL them.’

THE THUNDER BUILDS UP

35 ^

But whether because he was still thinking about what
Nelthilta had said, or for some other reason, he did not
make a particularly thorough search for the Aorn which
was perhaps as well, for there was no thorn theie
*Oh, confound it^’ he said, looking up, ‘There’s that
dratted white bird again What’s it keep coming here for^’
'Why does it worry you*^’ asked Blg^Vlg 'It’s not doing
any harm -* only loolang for snails ’

'Anything out of the ordinary is a possible source of
danger,’ replied Chervil, quoting Woundwort 'And you
keep away from it today, Thlayli, d’you see*^ That’s an
order ’

' Oh, very well,’ said Bigwig ' But surely you know how to
get rid of them^ I thought all rabbits knew that ’

Don’t be ridiculous You’re not suggesting attacking a
bird that size, with a beak as thick as my front paw ^ ’

No, no >- It’s a sort of charm-thmg that my mother
^ught me You know, hke “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away
nome ” That works and so does this or it always used to
With my mother ’

The ladybird thing only works because all ladybirds
erawl to the top of the stem and then fly ’

Well, all right,’ said Bigwig, 'have it your own way But
you don’t like the bird and I’ve offered to get nd of it for
you We had a lot of these charms and sayings in my old
warren I only wish we’d had one to get rid of men ’

'Well, what is tlie charm said Chervil
'You say,

O fly away, great bird so white.

And don’t come back until tonight

Of course, you have to use hedgerow talk No use expecting
them to understand Lapme Let’s have a go, anyway If it
doesn’t work, we’re none the worse and if it does, die Mark
Will think it was you who drove the bird away Wliere’s it
got to'^’ I can hardly see anything m this light Oh, there it
IS, look, behind those tins ties Well, you run hke this Now
you have to hop to this side, then to the other side, scratch

EFRAFA

352

With your legs - that’s right, splendid - cock your ears and
then go straight on until — ah I Here we are; now then:

O fly away, great bird so white,

And don’t come back imtil tonight^

'There you are, you see. It did work I think there’s
than we know to some of these old rhymes and spells. vJ
course, it might have been just going to fly away anyv^'ay
But you must admit it’s gone.’ ,

‘ Probably all that prancing about as we came up to it,
said Chervil sourly ‘ We must have looked completely mad.
What on earth will the Mark think ? Anyway, now we’re out
here, we may as well go round the sentries ’ . ct

'I’ll stop and feed, if you don’t mind,’ said Bigwig
didn’t get much last night, you know.’

❖

Bigwig’s luck was not altogether out Later that mormngj
quite unexpectedly, he came upon a chance to talk to
Blackavar alone He had been through the sweltering
burrows, finding everywhere quick breathing and feverish
pulses and he was just wondering whether he could not
plausibly go and press Chervil to ask the Council’s permis-
sion for the Mark to spend part of the day in the bushes
above giound — for that might very well bring some sort of
opportunity with it — when he began to feel the need to pass
hraka No rabbit passes hraka underground* and like
schoolchildren, who know that they cannot very well be
refused a request to go to the lavatory — as long as it is not
too soon after the last time — the Efrafan rabbits used to slip
into the ditch for a breath of air and a change of scene
Although they were not supposed to be allowed to go more
often than was necessary, some of the Owsla were easier
than others. As Bigwig approached the hole that led into
the ditch, he found two or three young bucks loitering in the
run and as usual, set himself to act his part as convincingly
as he could

'Why arc you hanging about he* e asked.

THE THUNDER BUILDS UP

353

‘The pnsoner^s escort are up at tlae hole and they turned
us back sir/ answered one ‘They’re not letting anyone out
for the moment ’

‘Not to pass hraka^’ said Bigwig
‘No^ sir ’

Indignant, Bigwig made his way to the mouth of the hole
Here he found Blackavar’s escort talking to the sentry on
duty

I’m afraid you can’t go out for the moment, sir,’ said
Bartsia ‘The prisoner’s in the ditch, but he won’t be long ’
‘Neither shall I,’ said Bigwig ‘Just get out of the way,
will you^’ He pushed Bartsia to one side and hopped into
the ditch

The day had become even more lowering and overcast
Blackavar was squatting a httle way off, under an over-
hanging plume of cow-parsley The flies were walking on
his shreds of ears, but he seemed not to notice them
Bigwig went along the ditch and squatted beside him
‘Blackavar, hsten,’ he said qmckly ‘This is the truth, by
Frith and the Black Rabbit I am a secret enemy of Efrafa
No one knows this but you and a few of the Mark does I’m
going to escape with them tomght and I’m going to take
you as well Don’t do anything yet When the time comes
I U be tliere to tell you Just brace up and get yourself
ready ’

Without waiting for an answer, he moved away as though
to find a better spot Even so, he was back at the hole before
Blackavar, who evidently meant to stay outside for as long
ss the escort ~ clearly m no hurry themselves - would allow
‘Sir,’ said Bartsia, as Bigwig came in, ‘that’s the third
time, sir, that you’ve disregarded my authority Council
pohce can’t be treated in this way I’m afraid I shall have
to report it, sir ’

Bigwig made no reply and returned up the run
‘Wait a bit longer if you can,’ he said as he passed the
bucks ‘I don’t suppose that poor fellow will get out again
today ’

He wondered whether to go and look for Hyzenthlay, but

354 efrafa

decided that it would be prudent to keep away from her.

together

t e etter. His head ached in the heat and he wanted only

to e alone and quiet. He went back to his burrow and
slept.

38. The Thunder Breaks

now, blow wind, swell billow and s\vim bark'

The storm is up and all is on the hazard ’

Shakespcaic Jidtus Caesar

ate in t e afternoon it came on dark and very close It was
p am t lat there would be no true sunset. On the green path
y e river bank, Hazel sat fidgeting as he tried to imagine

wto might be going on m Efrafa.

1 wanted you to attack the sentries while

feeding, didn’t he,’ he said to Kehaar, ‘and
at he d bnng the mothers out in the confusion

again tornghf’ ’appen. Den ’e say go away, come

^ still what he means to do. The question is, when
doyoutWnk?^ ^t’s getting dark already. Silver, what

do ^^^y alter anything they usually

in timo if you’re worried in case we’re not there

in tune, why not go now?’

thefe patroIKng. The longer we wait up

Smes * If a patrol finds us before Bigwzg

Thev’il realise ^,1^® ® matter of getting ourselves away.

alarm and that 11 be the end of anjt-chance he’s git.’

Listen, Hazel-rah,’ said Blackberry. ‘We ought to reach
the iron road at the same time as Bi Jig and nofa momSt

the thunder breaks

355

before Why don’t you take them all over the river now and
wait in the undergrowth, near the boat? Once Kehaar’s
attacked the sentnes, he can fly back and tell us ’

Yes, that’s it,’ answered Hazel ‘But once he’s told us
we must get up there in no time at all Bigwig’s goinff to
need us as well as Kehaar ’

^ Well, won’t be able to dash up to the arch,’ said Fiver

hont can do is to get on the

boat and have the rope gnawed half through by the time

e come back Silver can look after the fighting, if there’s
going to be any ’ 5 g, n mere s

Hazel hesitated ‘But some ofus are probably going to eet

hurt I can’t stay behind ’ X S ng ro get

Blackberry ‘You will have to wait on

P y the Efrafans Besides, it’s very important that the
rope sho^d be half-gnawed - that’s 7job Ir someone sS
It mustn t break too soon or we’re all finished ’
took them some time to persuade Hazel When at last
ho^agreed, he was still reluctant ^

tonight,’ he said, ‘I shall go and

Cc^datS;"

fitfid 1“"^ Began to blow in

scdees 'tiF' ^ multifohate rustling through the

ges They had just reached the plank bridge when thr-rp

Sa„? “ Tl'’'' »<■ .hundar In the ,Ln,=. slrf^gTS Z
p ants and leaves seemed magnified and the fidds beyond
the river very near There was an oppressive stillness ^

You know, Ilazel-rah,’ said Bluebell, ‘this reallv is tl
funni^t evening I’ve ever gone looking for a d^e ’ ^

be funnier soon,’ said Silver ‘There’ll

■'.Suu .’.3". Stud, to s,:'’r

EFRAFA

356

Bigwig woke to hear his name repeated urgently.
‘Thlayh! Thlayli! Wake up! ThlayUr

It was Hyzenthlay.

^ What IS it?’ he said. * What’s the matter?’

‘Nelthilta’s been arrested.’

Bigwig leapt to his feet

‘How long ago^ How did it happen^’

Just now. Moneywort came down to our burrow
told her to come up to Captain Chervil at once. I followed
them up the run. When she got to Chervil’s burrow, there
were two Council police waiting just outside and one of
them said to Chervil, “Well, as quick as you can, and don t
be long.” And then they took her straight out They must
have gone to the Council Oh Thlayh, what shall we do?
She’ll tell them everything — ’

Listen to me,’ said Bigwig ‘ There’s not a m oment to lose.
Go and get Thethuthinnang and the others and bring them
up to this burrow. I shan’t he here, but you must wait
quietly until I come back It won’t be long. Quick now’
Everything depends on it ’

H^^enthlay had hardly disappeared down the run when
Bigwig heard another rabbit approaching from the opposite
direction

‘Who’s there?’ he said, turning swiftly.

‘Chervil,’ answered the other. 'I’m glad you’re awake.
Listen, Thlayli, there’s going to be a whole lot of trouble.
Nelthilta’s been arrested by the Council I was sure she
would be, after my report to Vervain this morning What-
ever it was she was talldng about, they’ll get it out of her.

I dare say the General will be here himself as soon as he
knows what’s what. Now look here, I’ve got to go over to
the Council burrow at once. You and Avens are to stay here
and get the sentries on duty immediately. There’ll be no

outside for any reason whatever
All the holes arc to be double-guarded, Now^ you under-
stand these orders, don’t you?’

‘Have you told Avens?’

*I haven’t time to go looking for Avens; he’s not in his

THE THUNDER BREAKS

357

burrow Go and alert the sentries yourself Send someone to
find Avens and someone else to tell Bartsia that Blackavar

wonH be wanted this evenmg Then sit on those holes - and
the hraka holes too ~ with every sentry youVe got For all I
know there may be some plot to make a break-out We
arrested Nelthilta as qmetly as we could, but the Mark are
bound to realize whaFs happened If necessary you’re to
get rough, do you see^ Now I’m off ’

‘Right,’ said Bigwig ‘I’ll get busy at once ’

He followed Chervil to the top of the run The sentry at
Ae hole was Marjoram As he stood clear to let Chervil pass,
Bigwig came up behind hun and looked out into the overcast
‘Did Chervil tell you^ ’ he said ‘ Silflay’s early tonight, on
account of the weather The orders are that we’re to get on
With it at once ’

He waited for Marjoram’s reply If Chervil had already
h>ld liim that no one was to go out, it would be necessary to
light him But after a moment. Marjoram said, ‘Have you
heard any thunder yet^’

Get on with it at once, I said,’ answered Bigwig ^Go
down and get Blackavar and the escort up, and be quick,
too We’ll need to get the Mark out immediately if they’re
lo feed before the storm breaks ’

Maijoram went and Bigwig humed back to lus own
burrow Hyzenthlay had lost no time Tlirec or four does
were crammed into the burrow itself and near-by, in a side
^n, Thclhuthmnang was crouclung witli several more
All were silent and frightened and one or two were close to
the stupefaction of terror

This IS no time to go tharn,’ said Bigwig ‘Your lives
depend on doing as I say Listen, now Blackavar and the
police guards will be up directly hlorjoram wall probably
come up behind them and }ou must find some excuse to
Iccp him talking Soon after, a oil’ll hear fighting, because
I’m going to attack the police guards \\licn \ou liear tint
^mc up as fast as >ou can and follow me out into the ficld^
Don’t Slop for au) thing ’

As he finished spc-^lung, he heard Uic unmistakable sound

/

35 ^

efrafa

of Blackavar and the guards approaching, Blackavar’s
weary, dragging gait was like that of no other rabbit. With-
out waiting for the does to reply, Bigwig returned to the

mouth of the run. The three rabbits came up m single file,
Bartsia leading.

I m afraid. I’ve brought you up here for nothing,’ said
liigwig. ‘I’ve just been told that silflay’s cancelled for this
ev^ing. Have a look outside and you’ll see why.’

s Bartsia went to look out of the hole. Bigwig slipped
quickly between him and Blackavar.

u ^ stormy, certainly,’ said Bartsia, ‘ but I

shoiildn. t h3.vc thought ^

fro'm'l^’hind^^^''^'^'' and leapt on Bartsia

Ba^ia fell forwards out of the hole with Bigwig on top of
im He was not a member of the Owslafa for nothing and
was reckoned a good fighter. As they rolled over on the
ground, he turned Ms head and sunk Ms teeth in Bigwig’s
o er e had been trained to get a grip at once and to
o it at all costs More than once in the past tMs had
seized Mm well But in fighting a rabbit of Bigwig’s strength
n courage it proved a mistake. His best chance would
ti 1 ^ keep clear and use Ms claws. He retained his

snarling, brought both Ms own
Tcrnr^r Sank his feet in Bartsia’s side and then,

He fe^U^ ? pain in his shoulder, forced himself upwards
flesh and ^ teeth come tearing out through his

the ^ he fell back on

plain^hat Ra helplessly Bigwig leapt clear. It was

c^Td tt g®e“ but

Th™?oMt"kiU bleeding and cursing,

back what Bartsia would do, he jumped

odier ^ard T Blackavar grapplmg Mth the

the run with'rf them, HyzentMay was coming up

? ThethutMnnang bcMnd her. Bigwig gave the
guard a tremendous euff on the side of the hefdT which

THE THUNDER BREAKS

359

knocked him clear across the run and into the prisoner’s
alcove He picked himself up, panting, and stared at Bigwig
Without a word

‘Don’ t move,’ said Bigwig ‘There’ll be worse to come if
you do Blackavar, are you all right

Yes, sir,’ said Blackavar, ‘but what do we do now^’
‘Follow me,’ said Bigwig, ‘all of you Come on'*

He led the way out again There was no sign of Bartsia,
but as he looked back to make sure that the others were
following, he caught a ghmpse of the astomshed face of
Avens peenng out of the other hole

Captain Chervil wants you ^ ’ he called, and dashed away
into the field

As he reached the clump of thistles where he had spoken
to Kehaar that mormng, a long roll of thunder sounded
Irom across the vall6y beyond A few great, warm drops of
ram were falhng Along the western horizon the lower
clouds formed a single, purple mass, against winch distant
trees stood out minute and sharp The upper edges rose
into the light, a far land of wild mountains Copper-
coloured, weightless and motionless, they suggested a glassy
hagihty like that of frost Surely, when the thunder struck
Ihcm again they would vibrate, tremble and shatter, till
warm shards, sharp as icicles, fell flashing down from the
rums Racing through the ochre light. Bigwig was impelled
hy a frenzy of tension and energy He did not feel the wound
m lus shoulder The storm was his own The storm would
defeat Efrafa

He was w^cll out into the great field and looking for a sight
of the distant arch when he felt along the ground the first
^tamping thuds of the alarm He pulled up and looked about
mm There did not seem to be any stragglers Tlic docs -
houc\cr many there were - were well up \viih him, but
scattered to cither side Rabbits m flight tend to keep nw ay
fiom each other and the docs Ind opened out as they IcR
the hole If there was a patrol between him and the iron
loid they would not get past it without unless thej came
closer (og( thcr He would ha\c to collect them, dtspnc tiic

360

EFRAFA

delay. Then, another thought came to him. If they could get
out of sight, their pursuers might be puzzled, for the rain and
the failing light would make tracking difficult.

The ram was falling faster now and the wind was rising.

evening side, a hedge ran down the length of
the held towards the iron road. He saw Blackavar near-by
and ran across to him.

T want everyone the other side of that hedge,’ he said.

^an you get hold of some of them and bring them that
way?’ ^

Bigwig remembered that Blackavar knew nothing except
that they were on the run There was no time to explain
about Hazel and the river.

, , ash tree in the hedge,’ he said, ‘and

the way. Get through

e ot er side and I’ll be there as soon as you are ’

At this moment Hyzenthlay and Thethuthinnang came
ning towards them, followed by two or three other does.
P^^^^y confused and imcertain.
stainping, Thlayhl’ panted Thethuthinnang.
Xhey re coming!’

_WelI, run, then, said Bigwig. ' Keep near me, all of you.’
tlipv runners than he had dared to hope As

It f ^ ”^t>re does fell in with them and

natrnl 1 ^ they ought now to be a match for a

^ It were a very strong one Once through the

the nvprrr.. ^^^re, ahead of him, was the arch in

And embankment. But would Hazel be there?

wtiere was Kehaar?

askcd‘'rp^^.‘!,'^!‘r'“ that, Nelthdta?

thing because sure you tell us every
alone'vc^T’r LTT ^ already. Let he

her, you fool.’ ^ ^ can’t talk if you keep cuffinj

Hyzcmlilay said - oh! oh! - she said a big bird woulc

the thunder breaks

361

attack the OTOlasentnes/ gasped Nclthilta, *and wc would
run away m the confusion And then -
W ^ would attack the sentries ^ ’ interrupted

oundwort, puzzled * Are you telling the truths What sort
ofabird^’

I don t - I don’t know/ panted Ncltlulta ‘The new
^ said he had told the bird

What do you know about a bnd^’ said Woundwort,
turning to Chervil

? ^^ported It, sir,’ replied Chervil ‘You’ll not forget, sir,
that I reported the bird

There was a scuffling outside the crowded Council bur-
came pushing his way in

A officer, sir*’ he cried, ‘He’s gone* Taken a

rowd of the Mark does with him Jumped on Bartsia and
^*^0 e his leg, sir* Blackavar’s cut and run too We never
a a chance to stop tliem Goodness loiows how many
Thlayli - it’s Thayh’s doing * ’

Ihlayh^’ cried Woundwort ‘Embleer Frith, I’ll blind
when I catch him* Chervil, Vervain, Avens yes and
you^o _ come with me Which way has he gone ^ *

He was going downhill, sir,’ answered Avens
head the way you saw him take,’ said Woimdwort

came out from the Grixa, two or three of the
rafan officers checked at the sight of the murky hght and
increasing rain But the sight of the General was more
a arming still Pausing only to stamp the escape alarm, they
set out behind him towards the iron road
, Y^*T soon they came upon traces of blood which the ram
^ad not yet washed away, and these they followed towards
tne ash tree in the hedge to the west of the warren

Bigwig came out from the farther side of the railway arch,
sat up and looked round lum There was no sign either of
Hazel or of Kehaar For the first time since he had attacked
Bartsia he began to feel tmeertam and troubled Perhaps
^ter all, Kehaar had not understood his cryptic message

3^2

efrafa

at morning? Or had some disaster overtaken Hazel and
e rest. If they were dead - scattered - if there was no one
tu ^ c Kieet him ? He and his does would wander about
^ Rntil the patrols hunted them down,
o, It shan t come to that^’ said Bigwig to himself. ‘At
me worst we can cross the river and try to hide in the
woodland. Confound this shoulder! It’s going to be more
nuisance than I thought. Well, I’ll try to get them down to
e p an bridge at least. If we’re not overtaken soon,
doul^^it ’ ^ discourage whoever’s after us; but I

nf *^med back to the does waiting under the arch. Most
.T ooked bewildered. Hyzenthlay had promised that

protected by a great bird and that the new
_ J going to work a secret trick to evade the pursuit

the General These
of happened They were wet through. Runnels

side through the arch from the uphill

Ahearl of +1,^ ^^^th was beginning to turn into mud.

lead^it ^°thing to be seen but a track

the nettles into another wide and empty

all S’^e°ThiWay!^*®’

to be obeyed him at once. There was something

"Xir‘ ‘ "

three ru^hf^ r path up which he had run

wasliS^n^ “di:; ><=ft Hazel by the boat It

at least it led straiEl«°to go'ng for rabbits - but

Kehaar to spot th?m f was open enough for

He liad turn up

took him. to run once more when a rabbit over-
going?^’ Wliat are you doing here? Wliere are you

THE THUNDER BREAKS

363

3^4

efrafa

Bigv\4g had been half-expecting Campion to appeal and
a made up his mind to kill him if necessary. But now that
e actually saw him at his side, disregarding the storm and
e mu j se^-possessed as he led his patrol, no more than
our strong, into the thick of a pack of desperate runaways,

h u what a pity it was that the two of them

s ou e enenues and how much he would have hked to
nave taken Campion with Hm out of Efrafa

said. ‘Don’t try to stop us. Campion: I

don t want to hurt you.’ i ^ ^

Other side ‘Blackavar, get the does to
them^^' stragglers the patrol will jump on

d do better to give in now,’ said Campion, still

where ^ ^ shan’t let you out of my sight,

hearH escape patrol on the way - I

chanee V they get here you won’t stand a

chance You’re bleeding badly now.’

too. bX^Ve

me?second tin!?' Blackavar ‘He won’t beat

Ke^°™nSng!’^'^'^ ®'gwig. ‘he’s only trying to delay us.

hini^The suddenly, from behind

BiJia Oh. what shall we do^

into fhe^bravest heart TT

arch aheaH rsfh^ r n * had come through the

by himself, snarUng ‘I'T

In one r,,,,,.!, ^ luiy. Behind him came the patrol.

Groundsel. With ther^^ recognized Chervil, Avens and

heavy, savave-lookim^ Tt!? including a

Verv^ain, thehead ofthe guessed to be

that if he were to nm • police It crossed his mind

probably let him go as and alone, they would

easily nd of him Cert.* i I Slad to be so

.u "im. i.^ertainly the alternative ^

At this moment Blackavar spoke

the thunder breaks 365

"carirSiSoff w*

^ them before it’s fi to kill one or two of

' 'vhcn they’re puf to u ^ "'‘=“

mwSS cTr^ anH Blackavar’s

*^“0 up to them^ °” haunches as Woundivort

, attalkedtnTon^r^"^^ ‘I hear you’ve

settle with vou ^ We’ll

Efrafa ’ ^ ^ There s no need to take you back to

hhe^rsee'^ot'tl^'"'''* slave-driver,’ answered Bigivig ‘I’d

Who have

start PRttino- f ampion, put him down The rest of you,
you can leave t^me*’^^ hack to the warren The prisoner

^ rabbit i^Mav^p' ‘You’re not fit to be called

bullies I ’ ^ ^ yoor foul Owsla fuU of

the leneto^nf f daw of lightmng streaked down

to lean distant trees seemed

«pon u bnlhance of the flash Immediately

some hu(r« thunder, a high, tearmg noise, as though

'vhich ripped to pieces close above,

solution turned to enormous blows of dis-

the erni ^ waterfall In a few seconds

of inol, covered with water and over it, to a height

StuDpfiS formed of a mynad minute splashes

rabh.^ ” shock, unable even to move, the sodden

ram ^ '^'^‘^'rched mert, almost pmned to the earth by the

A small voice spoke m Bigwig’s mind
A our storm, Tlilayli-rah Use it ’

Gaspmg, he struggled up and pushed JBlackavar with his

goiii°“" Hyzenthlay We’re

EFRAFA

366

He shook his head, trying to blink the rain out of his eyes.
Then it was no longer Blackavar who was crouching in front
of him but Woundwort, drenched in mud and ram, glaring
and scrabbling in the silt with his great claws.

‘I’ll kill you myself,’ said Woundwort
His long front teeth were bared like the fangs of a rat.
Afiaid, Bigwig watched him closely. He knew that Wound-
wort, with all the advantage of weight, would jump and try
to close with him He must try to avoid him and rely on his
claws He shifted his ground uneasily and felt himself
slipping in the mud Why did Woundwort not jump^
Then he reahzed that Woundwort was no longer looking
at him, but staring over his head at something beyond,
something that he himself could not see Suddenly, Wound-
wort leapt backwards and in the same moment, through the
all-enveloping sound of the ram, there sounded a raucous
clamour

‘Yark' Yark' Yark’’

Some big, white thmg was striking at Woundwort, who
was cowering and guarding his head as best he could. Then
it was gone, saihng upwards and turning m the ram.
‘Meester Pigvig, ees rabbits come’’

Sights and feelings swirled through Bigwig as tliough in a
ream The things that were happening no longer seemed
connected by anything except his own dazed senses He
heard Kehaar screaming as he dived again to attack
Ve^am He felt the ram pouring cold into the open gash
m his shoulder Through the curtain of ram he glimpsed
noundwort dodging among his officers and urging them
back into the ditch on the edge of the field He saw Black-
a^r striking at Campion and Campion turning to run.
Ihen someone beside him was saying, ‘Hullo, Bigwig,
i^ig. Bigwig’ What do you want us to do?’ It was Silver.
^\\ffiere’s Hazel?’ he said.

boat I say, you’re wounded ’ What
An these does down there,’ said Bigwig.

All was confusion In ones and twos the does, utterly
bemused and scarcely able to move or to understand what

\\as said to tlicm, were urged into getting up and stumbling
Uicir \va) down the field Otlicr rabbits began to appear
through the ram, Acorn, clearly fughtened, but determined
not to run. Dandelion encouraging Pipkin, Speedwell and
Hawkbit making touards Kchaar - the only creature visible
above the ground-haze Bigwig and Silver brought them
together as best they could and made them understand tliat
they tv ere to help to get tlic docs away

‘Go back to Blackberry, go back to Blackberry,* Silver
kept repeating ‘ I left three of our rabbits in different places
to mark the way back,’ he explained to Bigwig ‘Black-
berry’s first, then Bluebell, then Fiver - he’s quite near the
nver ’

‘And there ts Blackberry,’ said Bigwig
‘You did It then. Bigwig,’ said Blackbcrr>', shivering
‘Was It very bad^ Good heavens, your shoulder

‘It’s not finished yet,’ said Bigwig ‘Has everyone passed
you^’

‘You’re the last,’ said Blackberry ‘Gan we go^ This
storm’s terrifying me * ’

Kchaar alighted beside them

‘Mccster Pigvig,’ he said, ‘I fly on dose dam’ rabbits,
but dey no run, dey get in ditch I no catch ’em m dere Dey
coming all along beside you ’

‘They’ll never give up,’ said Bigwig ‘I warn you, Silver,
they’ll be at us before it’s done There’s thick cover in the
water-meadow - they’ll use that Acorn, come back, keep
away from that ditch * ’

‘Go back to Bluebell* Go back to Bluebell*’ repeated
Silver, runmng from side to side

They found Bluebell by the hedge at the bottom of the
field He was white-eyed and ready to bolt

‘Silver,* he said, ‘I saw a bunch of rabbits - strangers,
Efrafans, I suppose - come out of the ditch over there
and shp across into the water-meadow They’re behind
us now One of them was the biggest rabbit I’ve ever
seen ’ /

‘Then don’t stay here,’ said Silver ‘There goes Speed-

$68 EFRAFA

well. And who’s that? Acorn and two does with him. That’s
everyone. Gome on, quick as you can.’

It was only a short distance now to tlie river, but among
the sodden patches of rushes, the bushes and sedge and deep
puddles, they found it next to impossible to tell their direc-
tion. Expecting to be attacked at any moment, they scat-
tered and floundered through the undergrowth, finding
here a doe and there one of their own rabbits and forcing
them on. Without Kehaar they would certainly have lost
all touch with each other and perhaps never reached the
nver The gull kept flying backwards and forwards along
the direct hne to the bank, only alighting now and then to
guide Bigwig towards some straggling doe whom he had
spotted going the wrong way

' Kehaar,’ said Bigwig, as they waited for Thethuthinnang
to struggle up to them through a half-flattened clump of
nettles, ‘will you go and see whether you can spot the
Efrafans^ They can’t be far away. But why haven’t they
attacked us^ We’re all so scattered that they could easily do
us a lot of harm I wonder what they’re up to ^ ’

Kehaar was back m a very short time.

‘Dey hidmg at pridge,’ he said, ‘all under pushes I come
down, dat peeg fella ’e make for fight me.’

Did he ? ’ said Bigwig ‘ The brute’s got courage, I’ll give
him that.’

Dey t’lnk you got to cross river dere or else go all along
pank Dey not know heem poat You near poat now.’

Fiver came running through the undergrowth.

We ve been able to get some of them on the boat.
Bigwig,’ he said, ‘but most of them won’t trust me. They
just keep asking where jvou are.’

Bigwig ran behind him and came out on the green path
by the bank All the surface of the river was winking and
plopping in the ram The level did not appear to have risen
much as yet The boat was just as he remembered it -• one
end against the bank, the other a httle way out in the
stream^ On the raised part at the near end Hazel was
crouching, his ears drooping on either side of his head and

THE THUNDER BREAKS 369

his flattened fur completely black ith ram He was holding
the taut rope in his teeth Acorn, II>Tcnthlay and two more
were crouching near him on tlic wood, but tlic rest were
huddled licrc and there along the bank Blackberry was
trying unsuccessfully to persuade them to get out on the
boat

‘Hazers afraid to leave the rope,’ he said to Bigwig
^Apparently he’s bitten it very tliin already AU tlicsc docs
will say IS that you’re tlicir officer ’

Bigwig turned to Thethuthinnang
‘This IS die magic tnck now%’ lie said ‘Get tlicm over
there, where Ilyzcnthlay’s sitting, do you sec^ All of them
~ quickly ’

Before she could reply, another doe gave a squeal of fear
A little w^ay downstream, Campion and his patrol had
emerged from the bushes and were coming up the path
From tlie opposite direction Vervain, Chervil and Ground-
sel were approachmg The doe turned and darted for the
undergrowth immediately behind lier Just as she reached
it, Woundwort himself appeared in her way, reared up and
dealt her a great, rakmg blow across the face The doc
turned once more and ran blindly across the path and on to
the boat

Bigwig realized that since the moment when Kchaar had
attacked him in the field, Woundwort had not only
retained control over his officers but had actually made a
plan and put it into effect The storm and the difficult
going had upset the fugitives and disorganized them
Woundwort, on the other hand, had taken his rabbits into
the ditch and then made use of it to get them down to the
water-meadow, unexposed to further attack from Kehaar
Once there, he must have gone straight for the plank
bndge ^ which he evidently knew about - and set an
ambush under cover But as soon as he had grasped that for
some reason the runaways were not makmg for the bndge
after all, he had instantly sent Campion to make his way
roimd through the undergrowth, regam the bank down-
stream and cut them off and Campion had done this

370 EFRAFA

Without error or delay. Now Woundwort meant to fight
them, here on the bank. He knew that Kchaar could not e
everywhere and that the bushes and undergrowth provided
enough cover, at a pinch, to dodge him. It was true that t e
other side had twice his numbers, but most of them were
afraid of him and none was a trained Efrafan olficer. Now
that he had them pinned against the river, he would split
them up and kill as many as possible. The rest could run
away and come to grief as they might. ^

Bigwig began to understand why Woundwort’s officers
followed him and fought for him as they did.

‘ He’s not hke a rabbit at all,’ he thought ‘ Flight s t le
last thing he ever thinks of If I’d known tliree nights ago
what I know now, I don’t believe I’d ever have gone into
Efrafa I suppose he hasn’t realized about the boat too It
wouldn’t surprise me ’ He dashed across the grass an
jumped on the planking beside Hazel

The appearance of Woundwort had achieved what
Blackberry and Fiver could not Every one of the does ran
from the bank to the boat Blackberry and Fiver ran with
them. Woundwort, following them close, reached the edge
of the bank and came face to face with Bigwig As he stoo
his ground. Bigwig could hear Blackberry just behind him,
speaking urgently to Hazel

‘Dandelion’s not here,’ said Blackberry. ‘He’s the only
one ’

Hazel spoke for the first time ‘We shall have to leave
him,’ he answered. ‘It’s a shame, but these fellows will be
at us in a moment and we can’t stop them ’

Bigwig spoke without taking his eyes from Woundwort.
‘Just a few more moments. Hazel,’ he said. ‘I’U keep them
off We can’t leave Dandelion ’ ,

Woundwort sneered up at him ‘ I trusted you, Thlayli,
he said ‘You can trust me now You’ll either go into the
river or be torn to pieces here — the whole lot of you.
There’s nowhere left to run ’

Bigwig had caught sight of Dandelion looking out of the
undergrowth opposite He was plainly at a loss.

THE THUNDER BREAKS

371

'Gioundsel* Vervain said Woundwort ‘Come over
here beside me When I give the word, we’ll go straight into
them As for that bird, it’s not dangerous -’

‘There it is * ’ cried Bigwig Woundwort looked up quicldy
and leapt back Dandelion shot out of the bushes, crossed
the path in a flash and was on the boat beside Hazel In the
same moment the rope parted and immediately the little
punt began to move along the bank m the steady current
When It had gone a few yards, the stern swung slowly
outwards, until it was broadside on to the stream In this
position it drifted to the middle of the river and into the
southward bend

Looking back, the last thing Bigwig saw was the face of
General Woundwort stanng out of the gap in the willow-
herb where the boat had lain It renunded him of the
kestrel on Watership Down, which had pounced into the
mouth of the hole and missed the mouse

PART IV HAZEL-RAH

39 The Budges

Boatman dance, boatman sing,

Boatman do most anything.

Dance, boatman, dance

Dance all night till the broad daylight,

Go home with the girls in the morning
Hey, ho, boatman row.

Sailing down the river on the Ohio

American Folk Song

On almost any other river, Blackberry’s plan would not have
worked The punt would not have left the bank or if it had,
would have run aground or been fouled by weeds or some
other obstruction But here, on the Test, there were no sub-
merged branches and no gravel spits or beds of weed above
the surface at all From bank to bank the current, regular and
unvaried, flowed as fast as a man strolling The punt shpped
downstream smoothly, without any alteration of the speed
which It had gained within a few yards of leaving the bank
Most of the rabbits had very httle idea of what was
happemng The Efrafan does had never seen a river and it
would certainly have been beyond Pipkin or Hawkbit to
explain to them that they were on a boat They - and nearly
all the others - had simply trusted Hazel and done as they
were told But all ~ bucks and does alike - realized that
Woundwort and his followers had vamshed Weaned by all
they had gone tlirough, the sodden rabbits crouched with-
out talking, incapable of any feelmg but a dull relief and
without even the energy to wonder what was going to
happen next

That they should feel any rehef- dull or otlicnvise - was
remarkable in the circumstances and showed both how little
they understood their situation and how much fear Wound-
W'ort could inspire, for their escape from lum seemed to be

HAZEL-RAH

374

their only good fortune. The ram was still falling. Already so
wet that they no longer felt it, they were nevertheless
■•sliivering with cold and weighted with their drenched fur.
The punt was holding over half an inch of rainwater. There
was one small, slatted floorboard and this was floating Some
of the rabbits, in the first confusion of boarding the punt,
had found themselves in this water, but now all had got
clear of it - most either to bows or stern, though Thethutlun-
nang and Speedwell were hunched on the narrow thwart,
amidships In addition to their discomfort, they were ex-
posed and helpless Finally, there was no way of controlling
the punt and they did not know where they were going. But
these last were troubles beyond the understanding of every-
one but Hazel, Fiver and Blackberry

Bigwag had collapsed beside Hazel and lay on his side,
exhausted. The feverish courage had gone which had
brought lum from Efrafa to the river and his wounded
shoulder had begun to hurt badly In spite of the rain and
the throbbing pulse down his foreleg, he felt ready to sleep
where he was, stretched upon the planking. He opened his
eyes and looked up at Hazel.

‘ I couldn’t do it again. Hazel,’ he said.

*You haven’t got to,’ replied Hazel
‘It was touch and go, you know,’ said Bigwig ‘A chance
in a thousand ’

‘ Our children’s children will hear a good story,’ answered
Hazel, quoting a rabbit proverb. ‘How did you get that
wound ^ It’s a nasty one ’

‘I fought a member of the Council police,’ said Bigwig
‘A what'J” The term ‘Owslafa’ was unknown to Hazel.
‘A dll ty little beast like Hufsa,’ said Bigwig
‘Did you beat him^’

Oh yes - or I shouldn’t be here I should think he’ll stop
running I say, Hazel, we’ve got the does What’s going to
happen now?’

I don’t know,’ said Hazel ‘We need one of these clever
rabbits to tell us. And Kehaar - where’s he gone? He’s sup-
posed to know about this tiling we’re sitting on.’

THE BRIDGES

375

Dandelion, crouching beside Hazel, got up at the mention
of ‘clever rabbits’, made his way across the puddled floor
and returned with Blackberry and Fiver
‘We’re all wondering what to do next,’ said Hazel
‘Well/ said BlackbeiTy, ‘I suppose we shall drift into the
bank before long and then we can get out and find cover
There’s no harm, though, m going a good long way from
those friends of Bigwig’s ’

‘There is,’ said Hazel ‘We’re stuck here in full view and
we can’t run If a man sees us we’re in trouble ’

‘Men don’t like rain,’ said Blackberry ‘Neither do I, if it
comes to that, but it makes us safer just now ’

At this moment Hyzenthlay, sitting just belund him,
started and looked up

‘ Excuse me, sir, for interrupting you,’ she said, as though
speaking to an officer in Efrafa, ‘ but the bird - the wlute
bird ~ It’s coming towards us ’

Kehaar came flying up the river through the rain and
ahghted on the narrow side of the punt The does nearest to
him backed away nervously

‘Meester ’Azel,’ he said, ‘pridge come You see ’im
pndge'J”

It had not occurred to any of the rabbits that they were
floating beside the path up which they had come earlier that
evemng before the storm broke They were on the opposite
side of the hedge of plants along the bank and the whole
river looked different But now they saw, not far ahead, the
bridge which they had crossed when they first came to the
Test four nights before This they recognized at once, for it
looked the same as it had from the bank

‘Maybe you go under ’im, maybe not,’ said Kehaar ^But
you sit dere, ees trouble ’

The bridge stretched from bank to bank between two low
abutments It was not arched Its under-side, made of iron
girders, was perfectly straight - parallel with the surface and
about eight inches above it Just in time Hazel saw what
Kehaar meant If the punt did pass under the bridge without
sticking, It would do so by no more than a claw’s breadth

HAZEL-RAH

"'““W be struck

the warm bilge-water t^the othZ'^'^' f ^ tlirough

said.%ilv^Hawkbk°“°U ' ‘’°'™ be

You, and you 't, “ tlie uater.

him at onSne^aifKehaar'flv^D

appear over the wooden raik Tif '’“‘^b and dis-
projected from each ^ concrete abutments

slightly faster under the hndV^h river ran

broadside on but nn pnnt had been drifting

Haael lostfe beL „7 Z"

looking at the bndvefv ound that he was no longer

badge seemed to come fl*'= fhe

There was a squeaftd ^ St t
Then a heavy blow vrhr.^ fr tumbled on top of him.
and Its smooth movem/^ ^ ^ the length of the punt

by a hollow sound of checked This was followed

appeared, very low grew dark and a roof

vagu; iS t W L ^ ^^^ent Hazel had

vanished, the punt w^! T? '"'^'^^^ground Then the roof

calling. They were belovf!}f ' ^ Kehaar
stream. bridge and still drifting down-

u The rabbit who had fallen u

been struck by the Kr,? ^corn He had

%mg. Hov/ever, thoup-li I! sent him

have escaped inj’ury. ^ bruised, he seemed to

go_to EfrrfI fo^a 1^°“®’’’ blazel-rah.’ he said. ‘I’d better

You’d be wa^^tf^r^ ^ j -r-w

someone at the other’ end ®b-aid there’s

One of the doesZThZ ^ “ Jucky ’

the upstream girder u^deJt^^f™'" *e bilge^ater and

lack. It was plam that t:ti caught her across

mat she was mjured, but how badly

THE BRIDGES

377

Hazel could not tell He saw Hyzenthlay beside her and it
seemed to him that since there was nothing he could do to
help, it would probably be best to let them alone He looked
round at his bedraggled, shivering comrades and then at
Kehaar, spruce and bnsk on the stem

‘We ought to get back on the bank, Kehaar,’ he said
‘How can we do it^ Rabbits weren’t meant for this, you
know ’

‘You not stop poat But again is nudder pridge more ’E
stop ’im ’

There was nothing to be done but wait They drifted on
and came to a second bend, where the nver curved west-
wards The current did not slacken and the punt came
round the bend almost m the middle of the stream, revolving
as It did so The rabbits had been frightened by what had
happened to Acorn and to the doe, and remained squattmg
miserably, half m and half out of the bilge Hazel crept back
to the raised bow and looked ahead

The river broadened and the current slackened He
reabzed that they had begun to drift more slowly The
nearer bank was high and the trees stood close and thick,
but on the farther bank the groimd was low and open
Grassy, it stretched away, smooth as the mown gallops on
Watership Down Hazel hoped that they might somehow
drop out of the current and reach that side, but the punt
moved qmetly on, down the very centre of the broad pool
The open bank shpped by and now the trees towered on
both sides Downstream, the pool was closed by the second
bndge, of which Kehaar had spoken

It was old, built of darkened bricks Ivy trailed over it and
the valerian and creeping mauve toadflax Well out from
either bank stood four low arches - scarcely more than
culverts, each filled by the stream to within a foot of the
apex Through them, thin segments of dayhght showed
from the downstream side The piers did not project, but
against each lay a bttle accumulation of flotsam, from
which dnftweed and sticks continually broke away to be
carried through the bndge

HAZEL-RAH

378

It was plain that the punt would dnft against the bridge
and be held theic As it approached, Hazel dropped back
into the bilge-water But this time thcie was no need.
Broadside on, the punt struck gently against two of the piers
and stopped, pinned squarely acioss the mouth of one of tiie
central culverts It could go no further.

They had floated not quite half a mile in just over fifteen
minutes,

^ Hazel put Iiis forepaws on the low side and looked
gingerly over upstream. Immediately below, a shallow
r^ple spread all along the water-line, where the current met
me woodwork. It was too far to jump to the shore and both
aii^ were steep. He turned and looked upwards The
r^kwork was sheer, with a projecting course half-way
i^ween him and the parapet. There was no scrambling up

Whats to be done, Blackberry'!' ’ he asked, making his
way to the bolt fixed on the bow, with its ragged remnant of
painter. ^You got us on this thing. How do we get off?’

i don t loiow, Hazel-rah,’ replied Blackberry. ‘ Of all the
ways we could fimsh up, I never thought of this. It looks as
though we 11 have to swim ’

‘Swim?’ said Silver. H don’t fancy it, Hazel-rah. I know

but look at those banks. The current would

n-np we could get out: and that means into

one of these holes under the bridge.’

to through the arch. There was very little

Zet r""' ^ long - perhaps not

There pnnt itself The water looked smooth,

for tlie obstructions and there was room

the A swiminirig animal between the surface of

narrow t ^ of the arch. But the segment was so
other side impossible to see exactly what lay on the

leaves mn ’ ^ The light was failing. "Water, green

raindroDs ections of leaves, the splashing of the

SnSS in rf geared to be

these were ah ^ r ^ and to be made of vertical, grey lines -
these were all that could be made out. The rSi echoed

THE BRIDGES

379

dismally up the culvert The hard, ringing noise from under
the soffit, so much unlike any sound to be heard m an earth
timnel, was disturbing Hazel returned to Blackberry and
Silver

‘This IS as bad a fix as we’ve been in,’ he said ‘We can’t
stay jaere, but I can’t see any way out ’

Kehaar appeared on the parapet above them, flapped the
rain out of lus wmgs and dropped down to the pimt
‘Ees finish poat,’ he said ‘Not vait more ’

‘But how can we get to the bank, Kehaar^’ said Hazel
The gull was surprised ‘Dog sveem, rat sveem You no -
sveem^’

‘Yes, we can swim as long as it’s not very far But the
banks are too steep for us, Kehaar We wouldn’t be able to
stop the current taking us down one of these tunnels and we
don’t know what’s at the other end ’

‘ Ees goot - you get out fine ’

Hazel felt at a loss What exactly was he to understand
from this^ Kehaar was not a rabbit Whatever the Big
Water was hke, it must be worse than this and Kehaar was
used to it He never said much m any case and what he did
say was always restricted to the simplest, since he spoke no
Lapine He was domg them a good turn because they had
saved his life but, as Hazel knew, he could not help despismg
them for timid, helpless, stay-at-home creatures who could
not fly He was often impatient Did he mean that he had
looked at the nver and considered it as if he were a rabbit^
That there was slack water immediately below the bridge,
with a low, shelving bank where they could get out easily^
That seemed too much to hope for Or did he simply mean
tliat they had better hurry up and take a chance on being
able to do what he himself could do without difficulty^ This
seemed more hkely Suppose one of them did jump out of
the boat and go down with the current ~ what would that
tell the others, if he did not come back ^

Poor Hazel looked about him Silver was licking Bigwig’s
wounded shoulder Blackberry was fidgeting on and off the
tliwart, strung-up, able to feel only too clearly all that Hazel

3^*^ hazel-rah

still hesitated, Kehaar let out a squawk.
Yark! Dam' rabbits no goot. Vat I do, I show you.’
i e umbied clumsily off the raised bow. There was no gap
e een t le punt and the dark mouth of the culvert. Sitting
ow in t ^ like a mallard, he floated into the tunnel

after him. Hazel could at first see
fh I ^ made out Kehaar’s shape black against

the light at the far end It floated into daylight, turned side-
passed out of the restricted Hew.

Blackberry, his teeth
nattering. He may have flown off the surface or put his
g eat webbed feet down It’s not he that’s soaked through
and shivering and twice as heavy with wet fur.’
l^haar reappeared on the parapet above.

You go now,’ he said shortly.

hur^a hung back His leg had begun to

endTf n f -^bbi?s - at

this Hpq ^ther, half-unconscious, playing no part in

Ww coury still more. He

The horr Ki ^ ^ jump into the water,

slinne^ situation was beyond him He stumbled on the

H’ll cTrt \r found Fiver beside him.

right.’ ^ quietly. ‘I think it’ll be all

He put his front paws on the edge of the bow Then on

It^ZTon fn moL2. OnT;S^^^

the sounric nf ^ uf the punt. From above came

the smell nf footsteps and men’s voices, and

me smefl of a burning white stick.

grew Twarf^ ew away. Not a rabbit moved The footsteps
above no th ^ louder They were on the bridge

undcrirrounfl ■« seized by the instinct to run, to go
mur?cd r. t Hyzenthlay looking at him and

The voices might to keep still

very ca. _ he had thet^aS’ b^hforco^ll^ 'S

THE BRIDGES

381

men not see him^ They must see him He was lymg at their
feet He was wounded They were commg to pick him up
Then the sound and smells were recedmg into the
distance, the thudding of the footsteps diminished The men
had crossed the bndge without looking over the parapet
They were gone

Hazel came to ‘Thatsettlesit^’hesaid ‘ Everyone’s got to
swim Come on, Bluebell, you say you’re a water-rabbit
Follow me ’ He got on the thwart and went along it to the
side

But it was Pipkin that he found next to him
‘Quick, Hazel-rah,’ said Pipkin, twitching and trembling
T’ll come too Only be quick’

Hazel shut his eyes and fell over the side into the water
As m the Enborne, there was an instant shock of cold
But more than this, and at once, he felt the pull of the
current He was bemg drawn away by a force like a high
wind, yet smooth and silent He was drifting helplessly down
a suffocating, cold run, with no hold for his feet Full of fear,
he paddled and struggled, got his head up and took a breath,
scrabbled his claws against rough bricks underwater and
lost them again as he was dragged on Then the current
slackened, the run vamshed, the dark became light and
there were leaves and sky above him once more StiU
struggling, he fetched up against something hard, bumped
off It, struck it again and then for a moment touched soft
ground He floundered forwards and found that he was
^^^gging himself through hquid mud He was out on a
clammy bank He lay panting for several moments and then
Wiped his face and opened his eyes The first thing he saw
was Pipkm, plastered with mud, crawling to the bank a
few feet away

Full of elation and confidence, all his terrors forgotten,
Hazel crawled over to Pipkin and together they shpped into
the undergrowth He said nothing and Pipkm did not seem
to expect him to speak From the shelter of a clump of
purple loosestrife they looked back at the river

The water came out from the bndge into a second pool

hazel-rah

banksj trees and undergrowth grew
tell wli 3- kind of swamp here and it was hard to

clnmn<!^K^^^‘ woodland began Plants grew in

was rnv^^ ^ Ta shallows. The bottom

in this half w^ater and

themselves ^ made furrows as they dragged

from the hr ^ ^ Running diagonally across the pool,

a point a httf opposite bank to

of thin vert ^ 1 them on their own side, was a grating

weed driffin^^ cutting season the river

above was ^^^ogled mats from the fishing reaches

pool bv men ^ this grating and raked out of the

The left bar!h pded it to be used as compost,

among the tre^^%f rubbish-heap of rotting weed

humid and enclosed. ^ rank-smelling place,

round the foet\^^^f ^ ' said Hazel, gazing with satisfaction
The stot .f ^ ^ have husted him ’

under the brid^^he'siffht^fh swimming out from

like a fly in a sniH^ ’ uf him, struggling in the current
watch aLther

it The rabbit fetchedT^^ almost as bad as sharing

way along It, found the grating, drifted a httle

water. It was PlaoT^ crawled out of the turbid

aware and seemed un-

a Uttle while, howeve? he'h^™

water and sat up ’ ^ began to cough, vomited some

^ ^’^<='1 Hazel .

much more t^ghT*?

^ ° sir 1 m very tired ^

risk .t’oryo^V™;. w"’’ '“u *<i y°"

for all you Imew ’ ^ rnight already have gone under
‘I sec,’ said HLeh'^wSl^allh* Blackavar

us a sloppy lot. I’m afraid you’re going to find

looked like coming when t there anyone else who

6 wnen you jumped m?’

THE BRIDGES 383

‘I think they’re a bit nervous/ answered Blackavai ‘ You
can’t blame them ’

‘No, but the trouble is that anytlung can happen/ said
Hazel, fretting ‘Tliey may all go tharn, sitting there The
men may come back If only we could tell them it’s all
nght -

T think we can, sir,’ said Blackavar * Unless I’m wrong,
it’s only a matter of slipping up the bank there and down
the other side Shall I go?’

Hazel was disconcerted From what he had gathered, this
was a disgraced prisoner from Efrafa - not even a member
of the Owsla, apparently and he had just said that he felt
exhausted He was going to take some living up to

‘We’ll both go,’ he said ‘ Hlao-roo, can you stay here and
keep a look-out? With any luck, they’ll start coming through
to you Help them if you can ’

Hazel and Blackavar slipped through the dnpping under-
growth The grass track which crossed the bridge ran above
them, at the top of a steep bank They chmbed the bank and
looked out cautiously from the long grass at the verge The
track was empty and there was nothing to be heard or smelt
They crossed it and reached the end of the bridge on the up-
stream side Here the bank dropped almost sheer to the river,
some SIX feet below Blackavar scrambled down without hesi-
tation, but Hazel followed more slowly Just above the
bridge, between it and a thorn-bush upstream, was a ledge
of turf which overhung the water Out in the nver, a few
feet away, the punt lay against the weedy piers

‘Silver*’ said Hazel, ‘Fiver* Come on, get them into the
water It’s all right below the bridge Get the does in first,
if you can There’s no time to lose The men may come"
back ’

It was no easy matter to rouse the torpid, bewildered does
make them tmderstand what they had to do Silver
went from one to another Dandehon, as soon as he saw
Hazel on the bank, went at once to the bow and plunged in
Speedwell followed, but as Fiver was about to go Silver
stopped him

3^4 hazel-rah

‘If all our bucks go, Hazel,’ he said, ‘the docs will be left
one and I don. t think they’ll manage

obey Thlayli, sir,’ said Blackavar, before Hazel
y. he’s the one lo get them started.’

Bi^ig was still Ijrag in the bilge water, in the place he

7o h.l7r“ “P. they came to the first bridge. He seemed

and Silver nuzzled him he raised his head

and looked about m a dazed manner.

mine’. . • : this shoulder of

TO going to be a bother. I feel a^vfuIIy cold, too. Where’s

saw thHf difficulty and they

chmbed on He limped to the thwart and

so ‘your friends can’t be any wetter,

thinks Then now. One by one, don’t you

each other as they sw^,^ o£t}icm scratching or hurting

before^evei^nr^t^ Blackavar had said, it was a long time
does altogether boat. There were in fact ten

number - anH PiUh none of the rabbits knew the

patient urging sevemf responded to Bigwig’s

remained huddll JTh exhausted that they

the water until other were, or looked stupidly at

time to time Biewio- ^ Brought to take their place. From

and in bucks to give n lead

a bad way 'aS K Thrayonlosa, was clearly in
through together on^’ Thethuthinnang swam

avar went back to the Hazel and Black-

sky cleared and the on^ Below the bridge. The

away eastwards. Iffied as the thunder moved

came through the bridge'^th Bigwig himself

as ever he could keen afl It wasmuch

grating he roUed over^in rh reached the

THE WAY BACK

385

help, pulled himself out Hazel and several of the others were
waiting for him, but he cut them short with a flash of his old,
bullymg manner

‘ Come on, get out of the way,’ he said, ‘ I’m going to sleep
now, Hazel, and Fnth help you if you say I’m not ’

‘That’s how voe go on, you see,’ said Hazel to the staring
Blackavar ‘You’ll get used to it after a bit Now, let’s look
for somewhere dry that no one else has found and then per-
haps we can sleep too ’

Every dry spot among the undergrowth seemed to be
crowded with exhausted, sleeping rabbits After searching
for a time they found a fallen tree-trunk, from the under
side of which the bark had pulled away They crept beneath
the twigs and leaves, settled themselves m the smooth,
curved trough - which soon took on some of the warmth of
their bodies - and slept at once

40 The Way Back

Dame Hickory, Dame Hickory
Here’s a wolf at your door.

His teeth grinmng white.

And his tongue wagging sore'

‘Kay,* said Dame Hickory, *Ye False Faerie'*

But a wolf t’was indeed, and famished was he

Walter de la Mare Dame Hickory

The first thing that Hazel learned the next morning was that
Thrayonlosa had died during the mght Thethuthinnang
was distressed, for it was she who had picked Thrayonlosa
as one of the more sturdy and sensible does in the Mark and
persuaded her to join in the escape After they had come
through the bridge together, she had helped her ashore and
fallen asleep beside her m the undergrowth, hoping that she
might have recovered by the next day But she had woken
to find Tlirayonlosa gone and, searclung, had found her m a

?.86

HAZEL-RAH

clump of reeds downstream. Evidently the poor creature
ad felt that she was going to die and, in the manner of
animals, had slipped away.

The news depressed Hazel. He knew that they had been

TAr ? many does out of Efrafa and to escape from
Woundwort without having to stand and fight. The plan
a been a good one, but the storm and the frightening
eHiciency of the Efrafans had nearly defeated it. For all the
courage of Bigwig and of Silver, they would have faHed
Wit out Kehaar Now Kehaar was going to leave them.

wounded and his own leg was none too good.

^ it t e does to look after, they would not be able to travel
in t e open as fast or as easily as they had on the way down
„ ntership He would have liked to stay where they
^fcw days, so that Bigwig could recover his strength
and the does find their feet and get used to life outside a
v^rren. ut the place, he realized, was hopelessly inhospit-
t'oKK + T> there was good cover, it was too wet for
A, evidently close to a road busier than

nnH ^ ^own Soon after daylight they began to hear
nllTn Passing, not so far away as the breadth of

in + A * continual disturbance and the does

startled and uneasy Thrayonlosa’s death
andiinnW ers wc^se Worried by the noise and vibration
look at fh ^^pt wandering downstream to

dangerous surroun^ng^

it Blackberry, who pointed out that probably

likelv T ^ before men found the boat* then very
Hazel close by for some time This decided

somewW had better set out at once and try to reach

hTlndL":ul" easily. He could

stream. With th^e rLd ^

seemed to

case the way home. ’ hndge, which was m any

tralkl^he^fiSuh chmbed the bank to the grass
hrst thing they saw was Kehaar, picking slu^ out

THE WAV BACK

387

of a clump of hemlock near the bridge Tlicy came up to
him without speaking and began to nibble the short grass
nearby

After a little while Kchaar said, ‘Now you getting
madders, Mccster ’Azel All go fine,

‘Yes We’d never have done it without you, Kchaar I
hear you turned up just in time to save Bigwig last night ’
‘Dis bad rabbit, pig fella, ’c go fight me Plenty clever
too’

Yes He got a shock for once, though ’

Ya, ya Mecster ’Azel, soon is men come Vat you do
now^’

We’re going back to our warren, Kehaar, if we can get
there ’

Ees finish here now for me I go to Peeg Vater ’

^ Shall we see you again, Kchaar^’
go back hills ^ Stay dere^’

Yes, we mean to get there It’s going to be hard going
^th so many rabbits, and there’ll be Efrafan patrols to
^^dge, I expect ’

You get dere, later on ees vmter, plenty cold, plenty
storm on Peeg Vater Plenty bird come m Den I come back,
see you vere you live ’

‘Don’t forget, then, Kehaar, will you^’ said Bigwig ‘We
shall be looking out for you Gome down suddenly, like you
did last night ’

Ya, ya, frighten all mudders und liddle rabbits, all liddle
I^igvigs run avay ’

Kehaar arched his wings and rose into the air He flew
over the parapet of the bridge and upstream Then he
turned in a circle to the left, came back over the grass track
and flew straight down it, skimmmg just over the rabbits’
heads He gave one of his raucous cries and was gone to the
southward They gazed after him as he disappeared above
the trees

‘Oh fly away, great bird so white,’ said Bigwig ‘You
know, he made me feel I could fly too That Big Water! I
Wish I could see it ’

HAZEL-RAH

388

As they continued to look in the direction where Kehaar
had gone, Hazel noticed for the first time a cottage at the
far end of the track, where the grass sloped up to join the
road. A man, taking care to keep still, was leaning over the
hedge and watching them intently. Hazel stamped and
bolted into the undergrowth of the swamp, with Bigwig hard
on his heels.

‘You know what he’s thinking about? ’ said Bigwig. ‘He’s
thinking about the vegetables m his garden ’

‘I know,’ replied Hazel. ‘And we shan’t be able to keep
this lot away from them once they get the idea into their
heads The quicker we push on the better.’

Shortly afterwards the rabbits set out across the park to
the north Bigwig soon found that he was not up to a long
journey. His wound was painful and the shoulder muscle
would not stand hard use. Hazel was still lame and the does,
though willing and obedient, showed that they knew little
about the life of hlessil It was a trying tune.

In the days that followed — days of clear sky and fine
weather — Blackavar proved his worth again and again, until
Hazel came to rely on him as much as on any of his veterans.
There was a great deal more to him than anyone could have
guessed. When Bigwig had determined not to come out of
Efrafa without Blackavar, he had been moved entirely by
pity for a miserable, helpless victim of W^oundwort’s ruth-
lessness It turned out, however, that Blackavar, when not
crushed by humiliation and ill-treatment, was a good cut
above the ordinary. His story was an unusual one His mother
had not been born an Efrafan She had been one of the
rabbits taken prisoner when Woundwort attacked the
warren at Nutley Copse She had mated with an Efrafan
captain and had had no other mate He had been killed on
ide Patrol Blackavar, proud of his father, had grown up
with the resolve to become an officer in the Owsla But
^gether with tliis - and paradoxically - there had come to
m from his mother a certain resentment against Efrafa
and a feeling that they should have no more of him than he
care to give them Captain Mallow, to whose Mark — the

THE WAY BACK

389

Right Fore - he had been sent on trial, had praised his
courage and endurance but had not failed to notice the
proud detachment of his nature When the Right Flank
needed a jimior officer to help Captain Chervil, it was
Avens and not Blackavar who had been selected by the
Council Blackavar, who knew his own worth, felt convinced
that his mother’s blqod had prejudiced the Council against
him While still full of his wrongs he had met Hyzenthlay
and made himself a secret fnend and adviser of the dis-
contented does m the Right Fore He had begun by urging
them to try to get the Council’s consent to their leaving
Efrafa If ffiey had succeeded they would have asked for
him to be allowed to go with them But when the does’
deputation to the Coimcil failed, Blackavar turned to the
idea of escape At first he had meant to take the does with
him but his nerve, strained to the hmit, as Bigwig’s had
been, by the dangers and uncertainties of conspiracy, had
given way and in the end he had simply made a dash on his
own, to be caught by Campion Under the punishment
inflicted by the Council his mercurial spirit had fallen low
nnd he had become the apathetic wretch the sight of whom
had so much shocked Bigwig Yet at the whispered message
m the hraka-pit this spirit had flickered up again where
another’s might well have failed to do so, and he had been
ready to set all on the hazard and have another shot Now,
free among these easy-going strangers, he saw himself as a
trained Efrafan, using his skill to help them m their need
Although he did all that he was told, he did not hesitate to
make suggestions as well, particularly when it came to
J^cconnoitnng and looking for signs of danger Hazel, who
was ready to accept advice from anybody when he thought
It was good, hstened to most of what he said and was con-
tent to leave it to Bigwig - for whom, naturally, Blackavar
entertained a tremendous respect - to sec that he did not
over-reach himself m his warm-hearted, rather candid zeal
After two or three days of slow, careful journeying, with
many halts in cover, they found themselves, late one after-
noon, once more in sight of Caesar’s Belt, but furtlier w est

390

hazel-rah

than before, close to a httle copse at the top of some rising
^ound Everyone was tired and when they had fed -
vening silflay every day, just as you promised,’ said
yzenthlay to Bigwig - Bluebell and Speedwell suggested
t at it might be worth while to dig some scrapes in the light
SOI under the trees and live there for a day or two. Hazel
telt willmg enough, but Fiver needed persuasion.

now we can do with a rest, but somehow I don’t

a oget er like it, Hazel-rah,’ he said. ‘I suppose I’ve got to
try to think why?’

‘Not on my account,’ answered Hazel, ‘But I doubt you’ll
ct ^ i ^ others this time. One or two of these does are
rea y or mudder , as Kehaar would say, and that’s the
rea reason why Bluebell and the rest are prepared to be at
me trouble of digging scrapes Surely it’ll be all right at that
te, won t it? You know what they say - “Rabbit under-
ground, rabbit safe and sound”.’

'That Vilthuril’s a

Aftf'r n * ^ ^ chance to get to know her better,

after dty ’ " ~

when Blackavar returned with Dandelion

he cam?^ m t cy had undertaken on their own initiative,
ame out more strongly against the idea.

Patrol F he said. ‘No Wide

dunf/'tL' shoulder had been hurting him a good deal

lum d.a! BllrlT" “ It seemed to

expense' If he hcing clever at other people’s

suitable bv FthTr-. ♦ 7 came to somewhere which was

nTmo, e an^ nn^ There they would be as safe -

si-Witl a'l this ’^'‘,''''’‘'\'=y"’°’tWhavebceniflhcyhad
r. W Tho h-v?'’ ’a ““’'ffor would be the clever
w M t! I, J f fiom a fox that had never

teitiug to lif- horTlt -tt'

‘ oorc. It v.as Umc someone called his bluff.

392

hazel-rah

next day sure enough, all the rabbits felt a great deal better
somp- ^rground. As Hazel had foreseen, there was
the e^ 7 #» ^ ^ j scuffle or two, but no one was hurt. By

wa<i qt ^ spirit prevailed. Hazel’s leg

weL m^rf since he

before harassed and bony two days

before, were beginning to look quite sleek.

time^ft ^ morning, silflay did not begin until some

north light wind was blowing straight into the

an? \l’ K f l»ad been dug,

rabbits on n ' came up, swore he could smell

pressing his chm glands for us, Hazel-rah,’
sick hearts IgW morning breeze sets home-

for a*mr5 T* ** J ^ chicory clump and longing

<Tu P “™P replied Hazel

doelup there.’ BluebeU. ‘He’s got two

fah-H?™. ‘P Bare say they’re

be P”** ‘be same they’ll never

nevrio fa r"” Tv P” ^stance - she’d

couldrf I r ^ ^ Silflay, because she knew she

see - thLver I ^ does, you

those ""“der about quite happily. Look at

those two, right away under the bank there Thev feel they
can - oh great Frith' ’ '-^^crc. i ney leei mey

ov^haneinfL^t h'T' '^^Pf’ d°g-bke, sprang out of the

neck anri rlrTo-o-r^ri u does, grabbed one by the

nccK ana dragged her up the bank in o ^ • j

veered and the reek of fox'^ame the Wh^™
covcT'^ d^’^bing of tads every rabbit on the slope dashed for

found themselves crouched with
ac 'avar. The Efiafan was matter-of-fact and detached
or little beast,’ he said. ‘You see, their instincts are

THE WAY BACK 393

weakened by life in the Mark Fancy feeding under bushes
on the windward side of a wood^ Never mind, Hazel-rah,
these things happen But look, I tell you what Unless there
are two hombil, which would be very bad luck, weVe got
till ni-Fnth at least to get away That homba won’t be
hunting any more for some time I suggest we all move on as
soon as we can ’

With a word of agreement, Hazel went out to call the
rabbits together They made a scattered but swift run to the
north-east, along the edge of a field of ripemng wheat No
one spoke of the doe They had covered more than three-
quarters of a mile before Bigwig and Hazel halted to rest
and to make sure that no one had fallen behind As Black-
avar came up with Hyzenthlay, Bigwig said,

‘You told us how it would be, didn’t you^ And I was the
one who wouldn’t hsten ’

'Told you*^’ said Blackavar ‘I don’t understand ’

'That there was hkely to be a fox ’

T don’t remember, I’m afraid But I don’t see that any of
us could possibly have known Anyway, what’s a doe more
or less^’

Bigwig looked at him in astomsliment but Blackavar, ap-
parently unconcerned either to stress what he had said or to
break off the talk, simply began to mbble the grass Big^vig^
puzzled, moved away and himself began to feed a httle
distance off, with Hyzenthlay and Hazel ^

‘What’s he getting at^ ’ he asked after a while You were
all there when he warned us, two nights ago, that there was
likely to be a fox I treated him badly ’

Tn Efrafa,’ said Hyzenthlay, ‘if a rabbit gave advice and
the advice wasn’t accepted, he immediately forgot it and so
did everyone else Blackavar tliought what Hazel decided,
and whether it turned out later to be right or wrong wzis aU
the s'xnxL llis own advice had never been given ’

*I can bdieve tint,’ sud Bigwig ‘Efrafa* Ants led by a
dog* But weVe not m Efrafi now. Has he rually forgotten

that he warned us^’ * i \

* Prob ibly he really h is But whether or not, vou’d never

394

hazel-rah

admit that he warned you or to listen wliile you
o un he d been right. Pie could no moie do that than
pass hraka undergiound.’

‘But you’re an Efrafan. Do you think like that too?’

J- m a doe/ said Hyzenthlay.

During the early afternoon they began to approach the
e t and Bigwig was the first to recognize the place where
Uandehon had told the story of the Black Rabbit of

‘It was the same fox, you know,’ he said to Hazel ‘That’s
tto-’ ^ reahzed how likely it was

Look here, said Hazel, ‘ you know very well what we owe

0 yon The does all think El-ahrairah sent you to get them
out o Efrafa. They believe no one else could have done it.

s or what happened this mormng, it was my fault as much
us yours. But I never supposed we would get home without
osing some rabbits. In fact we’ve lost two and that’s better

an expected We can get back to the Honeycomb tomght

1 we press on. Let s forget about the homba now. Bigwig -

^n t be altered - and try to - Hullo, who’s this?’

ey were coming to a thicket of juniper and dog-roses,
ground level with nettles and trails of bryony on
wiii(m the berries were now beginning to ripen and turn red.
s they stopped to pick a line into the undergrowth, four
ig rabbits appeared out of the long grass and sat looking
own at them. One of the does, coming up the slope a little
way behmd, stamped and turned to bolt. They heard
Elackavar check her sharply.

Well, why don’t you answer his question, Thlayli?’ said
one of the rabbits. ‘Who am I?’

There was a pause. Then Hazel spoke.

i they’re Efrafans because they’re marked,’ he

said ‘Is that Woundwort?’

Blackavar, at his shoulder. ‘That’s Captain

THE WAY BACK

395

‘I see/ said Hazel ‘Well, I’ve heard of you. Campion I
don’t know whether you mean us any harm, but the best
thing you can do is to let well alone As far as we’re con-
cerned our dealings with Efrafa are finished ’

‘You may think that/ rephed Campion, ‘but you’ll find
3t’s otherwise That doe behind you must come with us, and
so must any others that are with you ’

As he spoke, Silver and Acorn appeared lower down the
dope, followed by Thethuthinnang After a glance at the
Efrafans, Silver spoke quickly to Thethuthinnang, who
shpped back through the burdocks Then he came up to
Hazel

T’ve sent for the white bird. Hazel,’ he said quietly
As a piece of bluff it was effective They saw Campion
look upwards nervously and another of the patrol glanced
back to the cover of the bushes

^ ‘What you’re saymg is stupid,’ said Hazel to Campion
There are a lot of us here and unless you’ve got more
rabbits than I can see, we’re too many for you ’

Campion hesitated The truth was that foy once m his life
he had acted rashly He had seen Hazel ^and Bigwig ap-
proachmg, with Blackavar and one doe behind them In
his eagerness to have something really worthwhile to show
on his return to the Council, he had jumped to the con-
clusion that they were alone The Efrafans usually kept
fairly close together m the open and it had not occurred to
Campion that other rabbits might straggle more widely
He had seen a golden opportunity to attack - perhaps kill -
the detestable Thlayh and Blackavar, together with their
one compamon -- who seemed to be lame - and bring the
doe back to the Council This he could certainly have done,
and he had decided to confront rather than ambush them,
m the hope that the bucks would surrender without fighting
But now, as more rabbits began to appear m ones and twos
he realized that he had made a mistake

‘I have a great many more rabbits,’ he- said 'The docs
must stay here The rest of you can go Otherwise we shall
kill you *

39^ HAZEL-RAH

‘Very well,’ said Hazel ‘Bring your whole patrol into the
open and we’ll do as you say.’

By this time a considerable number of rabbits was coming
up the slope. Campion and his patrol looked at them m
silence but made no move.

‘You’d better stay where you are,’ said Hazel at length.
‘If you try to interfere with us it will be the worse for you.
Silver and Blackberry, take the does and go on. The rest o
us will join you ’

‘Hazel-rah,’ whispered Blackavar, ‘the patrol must be
killed - all of them. They mustn’t report back to the
General.’

This had also occurred to Hazel. But as he thought of the
dreadful fight and the four Efrafans actually torn to pieces -
for that was what it would mean — he could not find it in his
heart to do it. Like Bigwig, he felt a reluctant hking for
Campion Besides, it would take some doing Quite probab^
some of his own rabbits would be killed — certainly wounded.
They would not reach the Honeycomb that mght and they
would leave a fresh blood trail wherever they went. Apart
firom his dishke of the whole idea, there were disadvantages
that might be fatal

‘No, we’ll let them alone,’ he replied firmly.

Blackavar was silent and they sat watching Campion as
the last of the does disappeared through the bushes.

‘Now,’ said Hazel, ‘take your patrol and go the same
way that you saw us come. Don’t speak — go.’

Campion and the patrol made off downhill and Hazel,
relieved to be rid of them so easily, hurried after Silver, with
the others close behind.

Once through the Belt they made excellent progress. After
the rest of a day and a half the does were in good shape. The
promise of an end to the journey that night and the thought
that they had escaped both the fox and the patrol made them
eager and responsive. The only cause of delay was Black-
avar, who seemed vmeasy and kept hanging about in the
rear. At last, in the late afternoon. Hazel sent for him and
told him to go ahead, on the line of the path they were

THE WAY BACK

397

following, and look out for the long strip of the beech
hanger in the dip on the morning side Blackavar had not
been gone very long before he came racmg back
‘Hazel-rah, IVe been quite close to that wood you spoke
of,’ he said, ‘and there are two rabbits playing about on a
patch of short grass just outside it ’

‘ I’ll come and see,’ said Hazel ‘ Dandelion, you come too.
Will you^ *

As they ran down the hill to the right of the track, Hazel
fairly skipped to recogmze the beech hanger He noticed
one or two yellow leaves and a faint touch of bronze here
snd there m the green boughs Then he caught sight of
Buckthorn and Strawberry runmng towards them across
the grass

*Hazel-rah^’ cried Buckthorn ‘Dandelion^ What hap-
pened*^ Where are the others*^ Did you get any does*^ Is
everyone all right

‘They’ll be here very soon,’ said Hazel ‘Yes, we’ve got a
lot of does and everyone who went has come back This is
Blackavar, who’s come out of Efrafa ’

‘ Good for him,’ said Strawberry ‘ Oh, Hazel-rah, we’ve
watched at the end of the wood every evemng since you
went Holly and Boxwood are all right they’re back at the
warren and what do you think ^ Clover’s going to kindle
That’s fine, isn’t it^’

‘Splendid,’ said Hazel ‘She’ll be the first My goodness,
we’ve had a time, I can tell you And so I will - what a
story 1 but It must wait a bit Come on - let’s go and bring
tlic others m *

By sunset the whole party - tiventy rabbits all told - had
made their way up the length of the beech hanger and
reached tlie warren They fed among the dew and the long
shadows, with twilight already fallen m tlic fields below
Then they ciowdcd down into the Honey comb to hear
Hazel and Bigwig tell Uic story of their adventures to those
who had waned so c igcrly and so long to he ir it

/\s the list ribbiis disappeared undcrgiound the Wide
Patrol, which hid followed them from Caesar’s Belt with

HAZEL-RAII

superlative skill and discipline, veered away in a lialf-circle
to the east and then turned for Efiafa. Campion was expert
at feding a night’s refuge in the open. He planned to rest

until d™ and then cover the three rcdles back by evening
of the following day.

41 - The Story of Rowsby Woof and the
Fairy Wogdog

erin them that offend of malicious wickedness They

SSt hit about through the city But thou, O Lord,

scSn “ aU the heathen to

Fsa/m 59

~ of hot, shll summer,

mo? ^ seemed the only thing that

moved; the sky - sun, clouds and breeze - awake above the

wr® P-ow darker on the

rlo?? *he old had been nibbled

sit warren was thriving at last and Hazel could

and^nn^® ‘heir blessings. Above

Tml^T foh naturaUy into a quiet,

t, rhythm of feedmg, digging and sleeping.

W nevl? '""‘O made The does, who

Hvzenthlav and"TV,^th*"i? ho&re, enjoyed the work. Both
Sd no?ri?» Thethuthmnang told Hazel that they had
in FfmFn ti it ^ ‘ooo of their frustration and unhappiness
Fvff r? simply to not being aUowed to di-.

nmtm r found that they could

pretty weU and boasted that they would bear, the war?e¥?

first htters in burrows that they had dug for themselves
Blackavar and HoUy became close friends They talked a
^eat deal about their different ideas of scouting Ld tral!
mg, and made some patrols together, more for their own

Rowsby woof and fairy wogdog 399

^tisfaction than because there was any real need One early
j persuaded Silver to come with them and
TOveUed over a mile to the outskirts of Kingsclere, retummg
RIa j 1°^ mischief and feasting m a cottage garden
c avar s hearmg had weakened since the mutilation of
HoUy found that his power of noticing and
Unra^^ conclusions from anything unusual was almost
Will seemed to be able to become mvisible at

made a happy enough society
nothi There was some bickering here and there, but

^ ®^^cbell said, any rabbits who felt dis-
of all tR 't go back to Efrafa and the thought

stini o„r together was enough to take the

Thprr. °^^^yt^og that might have made a real quarrel
one spread to everyone else, until

Chief n Ku remarked that he felt a perfect fraud as

dispute to £'settlef“^ problems and hardly a

Have you thought about the winter yet^’ asked Holly

VilthnLr Clover, Hyzenthlay and

hanfrer feeding along the sunny west side of the

down , before sunset It was still hot and the

erase *■ *-^^y could hear the horses tearing the

ha^V 1 paddock of Cannon Heath Farm, more than
of wm™r certainly did not seem a time to think

uscd\^^ probably be colder up here than any of us have been

rcaK It up so much that we can dig a lot deeper before the
Old weather comes I think we ought to be able to get below

P”®*^ wmter, I know but anyone
^o wants a change can always go out with Holly here^and

400

IIAZEL-RAII

‘What about a story now?’ said Bluebell ‘Come on,

JJandehon. “How I nearly missed the boat.” What about
that^’

‘Oh, you mean “Woundwort Dismayed,” ’ said Dande-
lon That s Bigwig’s story - I wouldn’t presume to tell it.
lit It makes a change to be thinking about winter on an
evening hke this It reminds me of a story I’ve listened to
ut never tried to tell myself. So some of you may know it

and perhaps some won’t. It’s the story of Rowsby Woof and
the Fairy Wogdog ’

said Fiver, ‘and lay it on thick.’

1 here was a big rabbit,’ said Dandelion. ‘There was a
small rabbit. There was El-ahrairah; and he had the frost
in ^s fine new whiskers. The earth up and down the runs
^ i^rren was so hard that you could cut your paws on
It and the robins answered each other across the bare, still
cop^s, his is my bit here. You go and starve in your own ”

ne evening, when Frith was sinlang'huge and red in a
^een s y, El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle limped trembling
through the frozen grass, picking a bite here and there to
carry them on for another long mght underground The
grass was as brittle and tasteless as hay and although they
wem hungry, they had been making the best of the miserable
utt so long that it was as much as they could do to get it
rlcw’ Rabscuttle suggested that they might take a

nfth t fields to the edge

erp? ^here there was a big vegetable garden

ronnri f K garden was bigger than any of the others

one enrl ^ v. ^ man who worked in it lived m a house at
vee-etahlpiT^ ^ or cut great quantities of

He had ^ hrududu and drive them away.

Se salr rabbits out AH

ffun and i! dangerous, because the man had a

"" shot jays and pigeons and hung them up

nU n- we’d be risking, either,” said El-

ahrairah thinking it over “We’d have to keep an eye open

for that confounded Rowsby Woof as weU.” ^ ^

ROWSBY WOOF AND FAIRY WOGDOG 4OI

'Now Rowsby Woof was the man^s dog, and he was the
most objectionable, malicious, disgusting brute that ever
licked a man’s hand He was a big, woolly sort of animal
with hair all over his eyes and the man kept him to guard the
vegetable garden, especially at night Rowsby Woof, of
course, did not eat vegetables himself and anyone might
have thought that he would he ready to let a few hungry
animals have a lettuce or a carrot now and then and no
questions asked But not a bit of it Rowsby Woof used to run
loose from evening till dawn the next day and not content
With keeping men and boys out of the garden, he would go
for any ammals he found there — rats, rabbits, hares, mice,
even moles - and kill them if he could The moment he
smelt anything m the nature of an intruder he would start
barking and kicking up a shme, although very often it was
only this foolish noise which warned a rabbit and enabled
him to get away in time Rowsby Woof was reckoned to be
a tremendous ratter and his master had boasted about this
skill of his so often and showed him off so much, that he had
become revoltmgly conceited He believed himself to be the
finest ratter in the world He ate a lot of raw meat (but not
m the evening, because he was left hungry at night to keep
him active) and this made it rather easier to smell him
commg But even so, he made the garden a dangerous place

' “Well, let’s chance Rowsby Woof for once,” said Rab-
scuttie “I reckon you and I ought to be able to give him
the slip if we have to ”

‘Ei-ahrairah and Rabscuttle made their way across the
fields to the outskirts of the garden When they got there, the
first thing they saw was the man himself, with a white stick
burning away in his mouth, cutting row after row of frosted
cabbages Rowsby Woof was with hun, wagging his tail and
jumping about m a ridiculous manner After a time the man
piled as many of the cabbages as he could into a wheel-
thmg and pushed them away to the house He came back
several times and when he had taken all the cabbages to the
door of the house he began carrying them inside
* “What’s he doing that for?” asked Rabscuttle

402

HAZEL-RAH

I suppose he wants to get the frost out of them tonight,”
replied El-ahrairah, “before he takes them away in the
xirududu tomorrow/’

They d be much better to eat with the frost out of them,
wouldn t they? ’ said Rabscuttle. “I wish we could get at
them while they’re in there. Still, never mind. Now’s our
chance Let’s see what we can do up this end of the garden
while he’s busy down there.”

But hardly had they crossed the top of the garden and got
among the cabbages than Rowsby Woof had winded them
and down he came, barking and yelping, and they were
lucky to get out in time

“Dirty little beasts,” shouted Rowsby Woof. “How -
how! How-how dare you come snou - snou - snouting
round here^ Get out - out! Out - out!”

‘“Contemptible brute!” said El-ahrairah, as they
scurried back to the warren with nothing to show for all
their trouble. “He’s really annoyed me. I don’t know yet
how ids going to be done, but by Frith and Inle! before this
rost t aws, we 11 eat his cabbages inside the house and make
look a fool into the bargain.”

^ ‘ “That’s saying too much, master,” said Rabscuttle “A

pity to throw your hfe away for a cabbage, after all we’ve
done together ”

«T ^ my chance,” said El-ahrairah.

1 shall just be watching my chance, that’s all.”

‘ The following afternoon Rabscuttle was out, nosing along
the ^op of the bank beside the lane, when a hrududu came
by. It had doors at the back and these doors had somehow
come open and were swinging about as the hrududu went
along. There were things wrapped up in bags like the ones
men sometimes leave about the fields, and as the hrududu
^ssed Rabscuttle, one of these bags fell out into the lane.
When the hmdudu had gone Rabscuttle, who hoped that
the bag might have something to eat inside, slipped down
^ j ^ have a sniff at it But he was disappointed to

11 contained was some kind of meat. Later, he

told hl-ahxairah about his disappointment.

ROWSBY woor AND TAIRY WOGDOG 403

* “Meat^’’ said El-ahrairah ‘‘Is it still there

‘ “How should I know^ said Rabscuttle “ Beastly stuff ”

* “Come With me/’ said El-ahrairah “Quickly, too
‘When they got to the lane the meat was still there El-

^rairah dragged the bag into the ditch and they buried it
“But what good will tins be to us, master^” said Rab-
scuttle

“I don’t know yet/’ said El-ahriarah “But some good
It Will surely be, if the rats don’t get it Come home now,
though It’s getting dark ”

As they were going home, they came on an old, black
wheel-covermg thrown away from a hrududu, lying m the
ditch If you’ve ever seen these things, you’ll know that
they’re something bke a huge fungus — smooth and very
strong, but pad-like and yielding too They smell un-
pleasant and are no good to eat

“Come on,” said El-ahrairah immediately ‘'We have
to gnaw off a good chunk of this I need it ”

Rabscuttle wondered whether his master was going mad,
but he did as he was told The stuff had grown fairly rotten
and before long they were able to gnaw off a lump about as
hig as a rabbit’s head It tasted dreadful, but El-ahrairah
earned it carefully back to the warren He spent a lot of time
that night nibbhng at it and after morning silflay the next
day he continued About ni-Frith he woke Rabscuttle, made
him come outside and put the lump in front of him

‘ “What does that look like^” he said “Never mind the
smell What does it look like‘s”

‘ Rabscuttle looked at it “ It looks rather like a dog’s black
uose, master,” he answered, “ except that it’s dry ”

‘ “ Splendid,” said El-ahrairah, and went to sleep
‘It was still frosty ~ very clear and cold - that night, with
half a moon, but fu Inle, when all the rabbits were keeping
warm underground, El-ahrairah told Rabscuttle to come
with him El-ahraurah carried the black nose himself and on
the way he pushed it well into every nasty thing he could
find He found a

‘Well, never nund,’ said Hazel ‘ Go on with the story ’

04 HAZLL-RAH

‘In the end (continued Dandelion), Rabscuttle kept weU
way from him, but El-ahrairah held liis breath and still
arried the nose somehow, until they got to the place wheie
bey had buried the meat.

‘ “Dig it up,’* said El-ahrairah. “Gome on*”

‘They dug it up and the paper came off. The meat was al
)its joined together in a kind of trail like a spiay of br)>ony>
ind poor Rabscuttle was told to drag it along to the bottom
)f the vegetable garden. It was hard work and he was glad
vhen he was able to drop it,

‘“Now,” said El-ahrairah, “we’ll go round to the
iront.”

‘When they got to the front, they could tell that the man
had gone out. For one thing, the house was all dark but
besides, they could smell that he had been through the gate
a little while before The front of the house had a flower
garden and this was separated jffom the back and the
vegetable garden by a high, close-boarded fence that ran
right across and ended in a big clump of laurels Just the
other side of the fence was the back door that led into the
kitchen.

‘El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle went quietly through the
front garden and peeped through a crack in the fence.
Rowsby Woof was sitting on the gravel path, wide awake
and shivering in the cold. He was so near that they could see
his eyes blink in the moonlight. The kitchen door was shut
but near-by, along the wall, there was a hole above the
drain where a brick had been left out The kitchen floor
was made of bricks and the man used to wash it with a
rough broom and sweep the water out through the hole
The hole was plugged up with an old cloth to keep out the
cold.

‘After a little while, El-ahrairah said in a low voice,

‘ “Rowsby Woof! O Rowsby Woof!”

‘Rowsby Woof sat up and looked about him, bristling.

‘ “Who’s there?” he said “Who are you?”

‘ “O Rowsby Woof!” said El-ahrairah, crouching on the
other side of the fence, “Most fortunate, most blessed

ROWSBY woor AND FAIRY WOGDOG 405

Lowsby Woof Your reward is at hand ' I bring you the best
ews in the world ' ”

“‘What’” said Rowsby Woof “Who’s that’ None of
our tricks, now*’’

* ‘‘Tncks, Rowsby WooP” said El-ahrairah ‘^Ah, I see
^ou do not know me But how should you ^ Listen, faithful,
kilful hoimd I am the Fairy Wogdog, messenger of the
>reat dog-spint of the East, Queen Dnpslobber Far, far in
be East her palace hes Ah, Rowsby Woof, if only you could
>ee her mighty state, the wonders of her kingdom* The
"arrion that lies far and wide upon the sands * The manure,
Rowsby Woof* The open sewers* Oh, how you would jump
For joy and run nosing all about*”

‘Rowsby Woof got to his feet and looked about m silence
He could not tell what to make of the voice, but he was sus-
picious

‘ “Your fame as a ratter has come to the ears of the
Queen,” said El-ahrairah “We know you - and honoui
you - as the greatest ratter in the world That is why I am
here But poor, bewildered creature* I see you are per-
plexed, and well you may be Gome here, Rowsby Woof*
Come close to the fence and know me better* ”

‘ Rowsby Woof came up to the fence and El-ahiairah
pushed the rubber nose into the crack and moved it about
Rowsby Woof stood close, sniffing

‘ “Noble rat-catcher,” whispered El-ahrairah, ^‘it is
indeed I, the Fairy Wogdog, sent to honour you* ”

‘ “Oh, Fairy Wogdog*” cried Rowsby Woof, dribblmg
and piddling all over the gravel, “Ah, what elegance*
What aristocraUc distinction* Gan that really be decayed
cat that I smell ^ With a delicate overtone of rotten camel*
Ah, the gorgeous East*” ’

CWhat on earth’s “camel” said Bigwig
‘ I don’t know,’ rephed Dandehon ‘ But it was m the story
when I heard it, so I suppose it’s some creature or other ’)
‘ “Happy, happy dog*” said El-ahrairah “I must tell
you that Queen Dnpslobber her very self has expressed her
gracious wish that you should meet her But not yet, Rowsby

4o6

IIAZEL-RAII

oo , not yet. First you must be found worthy. I am sent to
nng you both a test and a proof. Listen, Rowsby Woof,
eyond the far end of the garden there lies a long rope of
meat. Ay, real meat, Rowsby Woof, for though we are
airy dogs yet we bring real gifts to noble, brave animals
such as you Go now - find and eat that meat. Trust me, for

1 will guard the house until you return. That is the test of
your belief.”

Rowsby Woof was desperately hungry and the cold had
got into his stomach, but still he hesitated. He knew that his

guard the house.

Ah well,” said El-ahrairah, “Never mind. I will
depart. In the next village there lives a dog -”

No, no,” cried Rowsby Woof “No, Fairy Wogdog, do
not eave me • I trust you • I will go at once ! Only guard the
house and do not fail me! ” ^ ^

“Have no fear, noble hound,” said El-ahrairah. “Only
trust the word of the great ^ueen,”

Rowsby Woof went bounding away in the moonlight and
El-ahrairah watched him out of sight.

CO house now, master ? ” asked Rab-

shall have to be quick.”

‘“Certainly not,” said El-ahrairah. “How could you
suggest such double-dealing? For shame, Rabscuttle! We
will guard the house ”

‘They waited silently and after a while Rowsby Woof
to grinmng He came sniffing up

fonnH^ perceive, honest friend,” said El-ahrairah, “that you

though it had been a rat. The

Oueenand tHUi ^ Now hark. I shall return to the

Durnose that- ^ that has passed It was her gracious

purpose that if you showed yourself worthy tomtht by

h'^nom voi"" would herself send for you and

Tomorrow night she will be passing through
this land on her way to the Wolf Festival of the North and
she means to break her journey m order that you may appear
before her. Be ready, Rowsby Woof » ”

ROWSBY WOOF AND TAIRY WOGDOG 407

Wogdogi” cried Rowsby Woof “What my
kiy I £ »I1 bcte the Queen' Hmv

make myself hL ? ground' How utterly shall I

-

away^ the rubber nose and very quietly they crept

El-SaiJah°S^f night was, if anything, still colder Even

out over the fidds Th ^^t

the garden and^i 7^1^ hidden the rubber nose outside

Rowsby Woof t-eady for

outside the back d ^ padding up and down

^en El-aSi steaming m the frosty air

between his fm ®P°he, he put his head on the ground

from hehiS,? ‘^ommg, Rowsby Woof,” said El-ahrairah

Postwiddle and\ ff k "°hle attendants, the fairies

the cross-roadf m“th7 ° IP ^“h You know

< «£ roads in the village, do you not^”

show O let me

‘ «v» ^ ^ he, dear Fairy Wogdog I will -”

go .0 ' r'* “Now. O for.u„«e dog

■k« wmi S- Tnh? If r=‘' '■‘O ttueen Sho u commg
*1 ^ It IS far that she must come but tArai^

he yourJ”^*^^^ her and great blessing wiU

Fail her^ No^ no*’^ cried Rowsby Woof “T tatiH
Jke a worm upon the road Her beg Jr am T

mendicant, her idiot, her ^ iry Wog-

makl^Ste excellent,” said El-ahrairah “Only

the fence and along to the back door El-a

4o8

hazel-rah

cloth out of the hole above the dram with his teeth and led
the way into the kitchen.

The kitchen was as warm as this bank and at one end
was a great pile of vegetables ready for the hrududu in the
morning - cabbages, brussels-sprouts and parsmps. They
were t awed out and the delicious smell was quite over-
powering El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle began at once to
^a e amends for the past days of frozen grass and tree-

r n fellow,” said El-ahrairah with his mouth

u ^ ow grateful he will be to the Queen for keeping him
waiting He will be able to show her the full extent of his
^ Have another parsnip, Rabscuttle.”

Meanwhile, down at the cross-roads, Rowsby Woof
waite eagerly m the frost, hstening for the coming of Queen
rips o er. After a long time he heard footsteps. They
were not the steps of a dog but of a man. As they came near,
e rea ize that they were the steps of his own master. He

° away or hide, but merely remained

where he was until his master - who was returnmg home -
to the crossroads.

! “Why, Rowsby Woof,” said his master, “What are you
doing here ^ ^

‘ Rowsby Woof looked foohsh and nosed about. His master
^ thought came to him.

,. j chap,” he said, “you came to meet me,

did you^ Good fellow, then! Gome on, we’ll' go home
together ” » &

Rowsby Woof tried to slip away, but his master grabbed
him by the collar, tied him by a bit of string he had m his
pocket and led him home.

Their arrival took El-ahrairah by surprise In fact, he
was so busy stuffing cabbage that he heard nothing imtil the
door-handle rattled He and Rabscuttle had only just time
to slip behind a pile of baskets before the man came in,
leading Rowsby Woof. Rowsby W'oof was quiet and dejected
and did not even notice the smell of rabbit, which anyway
was all mixed up with the smell of the fire and the larder. He

410

IIAZEL-RAH

there aie those ~ may misfoi tunc strike them down - who
ai e om dci^Iy enemies. Worst of them all, Rowsby Woof, is
e great Rat-Spiut, the giant of Sumatia, the curse of
ame m. He daics not openly fight our noble Queen, but
stealth, by poison, by disease. Soon after you
tR 1 ^^arned that he has sent his hateful rat-goblins

nrough the clouds, carrying sickness I wained the Queen;
u s 1 1 X remained heie, Rowsby Woof, to warn you. If the
sickness falls - and the goblins aie very near - it will harm
not you, but your master it will slay - and me too, I fear,
r'"' I cannot.”

1 r, “There is no time to

° I clo, Fairy Wogdog?”

:f ^ Tj '^“cks by a spell,” said El-ahrairah. “But

fh flesh and blood, could run four times round

xAroi as loudly as he could, then the spell

1 . ^ roken and the sicloiess would have no power. But

las . 1 forgot ! You are shut in, Rowsby Woof. What is to be
« « ? I fear that all is lost ! ”

Rowsby Woof “I will save you, Fairy
gdog and my dear master too. Leave it to me!”

r! rl ^ oof began to bark. He barked to raise the
dead. The windows shook. The coal fell in the grate. The
noKe was terrifying They could hear the man upstairs,
came™? Cursing. Still Rowsby Woof barked. The man

T' ‘’'“S open the window and
hstened for thieves, but he could hear nothing partly be-
cause there was nothing to.hear and partly becauS of the
ceaseless barking- At la<5t Inr. j uccd-usc oi uii.

the door and went ^utiouslv

Out shot Rowsby Woof was the matter,

round the honttr* bellowing hke a bull, and tore

Srdo ^r wide him at a run, leaving

El-ahrauah and Rabscuttle dashed into the garden and

oa^T *c field bfyond^Sy

paused for a moment. From behind came the Lunds of

NEWS AT SUNSET 4^^

yelping and woofing, mL\cd with shouts and angry cries of
“Come *crCj damn you*’*

‘“Noble fellow,** said El-ahrairah “He has saved his
master, Rabscuttlc He has saved us all Let us go home and
sleep sound m our burrow ’*

‘lor the rest of his life Rowsby Woof never forgot the
night when he had waited foi the great Dog- Queen True,
It was a disappomtmcnt, but this, he felt, was a small matter,
compared with the recollection of his own noble conduct
and of how he had saved both his master and the good Fairy
Wogtlog from the wicked Rat-Spint *

HAZEL-RAH

‘Yes/ said Hazel, ‘A lot of us went but we foun

what we were looking for and now weVe come back or
good.’

‘Is a good. Is a lots of rabbits a now, keepa grass a
short.’ ^ ,

‘What difference does it make to him if the grass is short,
said Bigwig who, with Blackavar, was lolloping and m
bling close by ‘He doesn’t eat it ’

‘ Is a good a for get about, you know ? ’ said the mouse in a
farmhar tone which made Bigwig shake his ears w
irritation. ‘ Is a run along a queek - but is a no seeds a iroin
a short a grass Now is a warren a here and now a today is
a new a rabbits a come, soon is another warren a more.
New a rabbits is a your friends a too ? ’

‘Yes, yes, all friends,’ said Bigwig, turning away. There
was something I wanted to say. Hazel, about the new-born
rabbits, when they’re ready to come above ground

Hazel, however, had remained where he was, looking
intently at the mouse.

‘Wait a moment. Bigwig,’ he said. ‘What did you s^j
mouse, about another warren? Where is there going to be
another warren?’

The mouse was surprised. ‘You not a know? Not a your
friends ? ’

‘ I don’t know until you tell me. What did you mean about
new rabbits and another warren soon ? ’

His tone was urgent and inquisitive. The mouse became
nervous and, after the manner of his kind, began to say
what he thought the rabbits would hke to hear.

‘ Maybe is a no warren. Is a plenty good a rabbits ’ere, is
all a my friends. Is a no more a rabbits Not a for want other
rabbits ’

‘But what other rabbits?’ persisted Hazel.

‘No sir, no sir, no other rabbits, is a not a go for soon a
rabbits, all stay ’ere are my friends, a save a me a very good
a iny life, zen ’ow can I if a she mek me^’ twittered the
mouse.

Hazel considered this lot briefly, but it beat him.

NEWS AT SUNSET

4^3

‘Oh, come on, Hazel,’ said Bigwig ‘Let the poor little
beast alone I want to talk to you ’

Hazel Ignored him Going close to the mouse, he bent lus
head and spoke quietly and firmly

You’ve often said you’re our friend,’ he said ‘ If you aie,
tell me, and don’t be afraid, what you know about other
rabbits coming ’

The mouse looked confused Then he said, ‘ I not a see
other rabbits, sir, but a my brother ’e say a yellow-hammer
say IS a new rabbits, plenty, plenty rabbits, a come to
combe over on a mormng side Maybe is a lots a rubbish I
tell you a wrong, you no hke a mouse for more, not a friend
a more ’

No, that’s all nght,’ said Hazel ‘Don’t worry Just tell
again Where did the bird say these new rabbits were^’

« jp *

say is a come a justa now on a mormng side I not a
see

Good fellow,’ said Hazel ‘That’s very helpful ’ He
t^^ed back to the others ‘ What d’you maJee of tins. Big-
wig^’ he asked

_ much,’ answered Bigwig ‘Long-grass rumours
Ihese httle creatures say anything and change it five times
Ask him again fu Inle — he’ll tell you something

‘If you’re right, then I’m wrong and we can all forget it,’
said Hazel ‘But I’m going to get to the bottom of this
Someone must go and see I’d go myself^ but I’ve got no
speed with this leg ’

‘Well, leave it for tonight, anyway,’ said Bigwig ‘We
can

‘Someone must go and see,’ repeated Hazel firmly *A
good patroller, too Blackavar, go and get Holly for me will
you^’ ’

‘I’m here, as it happens,’ said Holly, who had come along
the top of the bank while Hazel was speaking ‘What’s tli^
trouble, Hazel-rah^’ ^

‘There’s a rumour of strangers on the down, on the
mg r^hed -and I I to=rmo“

HAZEL-RAH

414

and Blaclcavar run over that way - say as far as the top of the
combe - and find out what’s going on^’

‘Yes, of course, Hazel-rah,’ said Holly. ‘ If there really are
some other rabbits there, we’d better bung them back wi 1
us, hadn’t we^ We could do with a few more.’

‘It depends who they are,’ said Hazel. ‘That’s what
want to find out. Go at once, Holly, will you ? Somehow 1
worries me not to know ’

Holly and Blackavar had hardly set off when Speechve
appeared above ground. He had an excited, triumph^
look which attracted everyone’s attention immediately- ^
squatted in front of Hazel and looked round him in silence,
to make sure of his effect.

‘You’ve finished the hole?’ asked Hazel. ,

‘Never mind the hole,’ answered Speedwell. ‘I
come up to say that Clover’s had her fitter. All goo j
healthy kittens Three bucks and three does, she says.^
‘You’d better go up in the beech tree and sing that, sai
Hazel. ‘ See that everybody knows • But tell them not to go
crowding down disturbing her ’

‘I shouldn’t think they would,’ said Big^g ‘ Who’d be a
kitten again, or even want to see one — blind and deaf ana
no fur?’

‘Some of the does may want to see them,’ said Hazel.
‘They’re excited, you know. But we don’t want Clover
disturbed into eating them or anything miserable like
that.’

‘ It looks as though we really are going to live a natural life
agam at last, doesn’t it?’ said Bigwig, as they browsed their
way along the bank ‘What a summer it’s been! What a -
what a desperate lark * I keep dreaming I’m back in Efrafa,
you know, but it’ll pass off, I suppose. One thing I brought
back out of that place, though, and that’s the value of
keeping a warren hidden. As we get bigger. Hazel, we ought
to take care of that. We’ll do better than Efrafa, though.
When we’ve reached the right size, rabbits can be en-
couraged to leave ’

‘Well, don’tjou leave,’ said Hazel, ‘or I’ll tell Kehaar to

NEWS AT SUNSET

415

bring you back by the scruff of the neck I’m relying on y'ou
to produce us a really good Ovvsla ’

*lt’s certainly something to look forward to/ said Bigwig
‘Take a pack of young fellows across to the farm and chase
the cats out of the bam to get an appetite Well, it’ll come I
say, this grass is as dry as horse-hair on barbed wire, isn’t
What about a run down the hill to the fields - just you and I
and Fiver ^ Corn’s been cut, you know, and there should be
good pickings I expect they’re going to bum oflf the field,
but they haven’t done it yet ’

‘No, we must wait a bit,’ said Flazel ' I want to hear what
Holly and Blackavar have to say when they come in ’
‘That needn’t keep you long,’ replied Bigwig ‘Here they
come already, unless I’m much mistaken Straight down the
open track, too^ Not bothered about keeping hidden, are
they^ What a rate they’re going
‘There’s something wrong,’ said Hazel, starmg at the ap-
proaching rabbits

Holly and Blackavar reached the long shadow of the wood
top speed, as though they were being pursued The
Watchers expected them to slow down as they came to the
bank, but they kept straight on and appeared actually to
be going to run underground At the last moment Holly
stopped, looked about him and stamped twice Blackavar
disappeared down the nearest hole At the stamping, all the
rabbits above ground ran for cover

‘Here, wait a minute,’ said Hazel, pushing past Pipkin
and Hawkbit as they came across the grass ‘Holly, what’s
the alarm ^ Tell us something, instead of stamping the place
to pieces What’s happened*^’

‘Get the holes filled in*’ gasped Holly ‘Get everyone
underground * There’s not a moment to lose ’ His eyes rolled
white and he panted foam over his chin

‘Is it men, or what^ There’s nothing to be seen, heard or
smelt Come on, tell us something and stop gibbering,
there’s a good chap * ^

‘It’ll have to be qiuck, then,’ said Holly ‘That combe -
it’s full of rabbits from Efrafa ’

HAZEL-RAH

From Efrafa? Fugitives, do you mean?*

^ ‘No,* said Holly, ‘not fugitives Gampion*s there. We ran
right into him and three or four more that Blackavar recog'
nized. I believe Woundwort*s there himself. They’ve coine
for us - don’t make any mistake about that.*

‘You’re sure it’s more than a patrol?*

‘I’m certain,’ answered Holly. *We could smell them'*
and we heard them, too — below us in the combe. We
wondered what so many rabbits could be doing there and we
were going down to see when we suddenly came face to face
with Campion We looked at him and he looked at us and
then I realized what it must mean and we turned and ran.
He didn’t follow us — probably because he’d had no orders.
But how long will it take them to get here ? ’

Blackavar had returned from underground, bringing
Silver and Blackberry.

‘We ought to leave at once, sir,’ he said to Hazel. ‘We
might be able to get quite a long way before they come.* ^

Hazel looked about him. ‘Anyone who wants to go can gOj
he said. I shan’t. W^e made this warren ourselves and Frith
only knows what we’ve been through on account of it. I’m
not going to leave it now.*

‘Neither am I,’ said Bigwig ‘If I’m for the Black Rabbit
there s one or two from Efrafa will come with me.’

There was a short silence.

^ ^Holly s right to want to stop the holes,’ went on Hazel.
‘It’s the best thing to do We fill the holes in, good and
thorough. Then they have to dig us out. The warren’s deep.
It s under a bank, with tree roots all through it and over the
top. How long can all those rabbits stay on the down with-
out attracting ehl? They’ll have to give it up.’

‘You don’t know these Efrafans,’ said Blackavar. ‘My
mother used to tell me what happened at Nutley Copse. It
would be better to go now.*

‘Well, go on then,’ answered Hazel. ‘I’m not stopping
you .<\nd I’m not leaving this warren. It’s my home.* He
looked at Hyzenthlay, heavy with young, who was sitting in
the mouth of the nearest hole and listening to the talk. ‘How

news at sunset

Jajdoyo. And Clover - do we leave her or

ahrSlh'Tvin^^f stay,’ said Strawberry ‘I bebeve El-
^oesn’t I’m not T?°f^ Woundwort and if he
‘Mm *

the rum^ clawing and scrabbling m

not eS JiV h “ with the hot weather It Ls

hght a?d nS^ri to fall, it was

J^lackberr^ the holes It was

tnside throne working outwards from

ther^i scratching down the ceihngs S

ns wnere thev came intn tli#* Trtf^e^i'lrn^ 'U^ll 1 1 T ■*

***-v^AAcycoinD itseli

the runt; A ^ — -ww*^**^ wwii uic ceiuncs ol

Wholes by

^tin, leadinp- nr^

^ diiu uioCKinST

■^nn, leadmc.’^r^T'^u''^ underground walls into them One
goins- It- a ^ u wood, was left open for coming and

‘»lSy a. S'„r "'■’'T, •» “Se

passed the piSr, i n j ^^^^o As Hazel

know thatSS i, ‘ Woundwort did not

Ihe darken^,” e'astoX-h““‘ *' “■*

AlSouBh h?rf T’'^ '^nre desperate

m^mm

worra bighrie"; ™rpZ»rt,““' '» Woond-

hua to ree rear,. Wha.ever had happea.dt “2,“^

4i8 hazel-rah

the Efrafans could not fight to the finish against rabbits like
Bigwig, Holly and Silver without losing lives -• probably a
good many hves. Woundwort must know this. Perhaps it
might not be too late, even now, to persuade him to agree to
a new plan - a plan that would be as good for one wairen as
the other.

‘And perhaps it might be,’ thought Plazel grimly. ‘But it s
a possible chance and so I’m afraid the Chief Rabbit has
got to take it And since this savage brute is probably not to
be trusted, I suppose the Chief Rabbit must go alone.’

He returned to the Honeycomb and found Bigwig.

‘ I’m off to talk to General Woundwort, if I can get hold
of him,’ he said ‘You’re Chief Rabbit until I come back.
Keep them at it.’

‘But Hazel,’ said Bigwig, ‘wait a moment It’s not safe -

‘I shan’t be long,’ said Hazel ‘I’m just going to ask him
what he’s up to.’

A moment later he was down the bank and limping up
the track, pausing from time to time to sit up and look about
him for an Efrafan patrol.

43. The Great Patrol

What IS the world, O soldiers ^

It IS I

I, this incessant snow.

This northern sky.

Soldiers, this solitude
Through which we go
Is I

Walter de la Mare J^apoleon

When the punt floated down the river in the rain, part of
General Woundwort’s authority went with it He could not
have appeared more openly and completely at a loss if
Hazel and his companions had flown away over the trees.

THE GREAT PATROL

419

Until that very moment he had shown up strongly, a most
formidable adversary His officers had been demoralized by
Kehaar’s imexpected attack He had not On the contrary,
he had kept up the pursmt m spite of Kehaar and had
actually carried out a scheme to cut off the fugitives’ retreat
Cunmng and resourceful in adversity, he had nearly suc-
ceeded m hurting the gull when he leapt at him out of the
close cover by the plank bridge Then, when he had his
quarry cornered in a place where Kehaar could not have
done a great deal to help them, they had suddenly shown
their own cunmng greater than his, and left him bewildered
on the bank He had overheard the very word - tharn -
spoken by one of his officers to another as they returned to
Efrafa through the ram Thlayh, Blackavar and the does of
the Near Hind had vanished He had tried to stop them and
he had conspicuously failed

For a great part of that mght Woundwort remained
awake, considering what was best to be done The following
day he called a Council meeting He pointed out that it
would be no good taking an expedition down the river to
look for Thlayh unless it were strong enough to defeat him
if It found him That would mean taking several officers and
a number of the Owsla There would be the risk of trouble
at home while they were away There might be another
break-out The odds were that they would not find Thlayh
at all, for there would be no trail and they did not know
where to search for him If they did not find him, they would
look even bigger fools when they came back

'And fools we look now,’ said Woundwort ‘Make no
mistake about that Vervain will tell you what the Marks
are saying - that Campion was chased into the ditch by the
white bird and Thlayh called down lightning from th^
and Fnth knoivs what besides ’ ^ ^

‘The best dung,’ said old Snowdrop, «will be to sav
htUe about it as possible Let it blow over Thev*ve^
short memories ’ 7 ve got

‘There’s one thing I Uimlv worth doing,’ sa.d Woundwort
Wc know notv tliat tlicre was one place where wc did Cmd

IIAZEL-RAH

420

Thlayh and his gang, only nobody lealized it at the time.
That was when Mallow was after them with his patrol, just
before he was lulled by the fox. Something tells me that
where they were once, there they’ll be again, sooner or
later.’

‘But we can hardly stay out there with enough rabbits to
fight them, sir,’ said Groundsel, ‘ and it would mean digging
in and living there for some time.’

‘ I agree with you,’ replied Woundwort ‘A patrol will be
stationed there continuously until further notice. They’ll
dig scrapes and live there. They’ll be relieved every two
days. If Thlayli comes, he’s to be watched and followed
secretly When we know where he’s taken the does, then we
may be able to deal with him. And I’ll tell you this,’ he
ended, glaring "round at them with his great, pale eyes. Tf
we do find out where he is, I shall be ready to go to a great
deal of trouble. I told Thlayli I’d kill him myself. He may
have forgotten that, but I haven’t.’

Woundwort led the first patrol in person, taking Ground-
sel to show him where Mallow had picked up the strangers
southward trail. They dug scrapes among the scrub along
the edge of Caesar’s Belt and waited After two days their
hopes were lower. Vervain relieved Woundwort. He was
reheved two days later by Campion. By this time there w(ere
captains in the Owsla who said privately to each other that
the General was in the grip of an obsession Some way would
have to be found of getting him to drop it before it went too
far. At the Council meeting the next evening it was suggested
that the patrol should be discontinued in two days! time.
Woimdwort, snarhng, told them to wait and see An argu-
ment began, behind which he sensed more opposition than
he had ever encountered before. In the middle of this, with
a dramatic effect that could not have been better timed
from the General’s point of view. Campion and his patrol
came in, dead-beat, with the report that they had met
Thlayh and his rabbits exactly where Woundwort had said
they would. Unseen, they had followed them to their warren
which, though a long way off, was not too distant to be

THE GREAT PATROL

421

attacked, especially since no time would have to be spent in
searching for it It did not appear to be veiy large and could
probably be surprised

The news put an end to all opposition and brought both
Council and Owsla back under Woundwort’s undisputed
control Several of the officers weie for starting at once but
Woundwort, now that he was sure of his followers and his
enemy, took his time Having learned from Campion that he
had actually come face to face with Thiayli, Blackavar and
the rest, he decided to wait some httle while, in case they
might be on their guard Besides, he wanted time both to
reconnoitre tlie way to Watership and to organize the
expedition His idea was that if possible they should make
the journey m one day This would forestall any possible
rumours of their approach To satisfy himself that they could
do this and still be fit to fight when they arrived, he took
Campion and two others, and himself covered the three and
a half miles to the down east of Watership Here, he grasped
at once the best way to approach the beech hanger without
being seen or smelt The prevailing wind was westerly, as at
Efrafa They would arrive at evening and then assemble and
rest m the combe south of Gannon Heath Down As soon as
twibght fell and Thlayh and his rabbits had gone under-
ground, they would come along the ridge and attack the
warren With luck, there would be no warning whatever
They would be safe for the night in the captured warren
and the following day he himself and Vervain would be able
to return to Efrafa The remainder, under Campion, could
have a day’s rest and then make their way back with the
dqes and any other pusoners there might be The whole
thmg could be finished in three days

It would be best not to take too many rabbits Anyone not
strong enough to go the distance and then fight would only
be a nuisance In the event, speed might turn out to be
everything The slower the journey, the more dangerous it
would be and stragglers would attract elil and discourage the
rest Besides, as Woundwort very well knew, his leadershin
was gomg to be vital Every rabbit would need to feel that h^

IIAZEL-RAH

422

was close to the General ; and if he felt himself one of a picked
band as well, that would be all to the good.

The labbits to go were chosen most carefully. There weie
in fact about twenty-six or seven of them, half Owsla and
the rest promising youngsters recommended by their Mark
officers Woundwort believed in emulation and he let it be
known that there would be plenty of chances to win re-
wards. Campion and Chervil were kept busy taking out
endurance patrols, and tussles and training fights were
organized at morning silfiay. The members of the expedition
were excused all sentry duties and allowed to silfiay when-
ever they wished.

They started before dawn one clear August morning,
going due north in groups along the banks and hedges.
Before they had reached the Belt, Groundsel’s party was
attacked by a pair of stoats, one old and the other a yearling.
Woundwort, hearing the squealing from behind him,
covered the distance m a few moments and set upon the
veteran stoat with slashmg teeth and great kicks from his
needle-clawed back paws. With one of its forelegs ripped to
the shoulder, it turned and made off, the younger one
following.

‘You ought to be able to see to these things yourselij’ said
Woundwort to Groundsel ‘Stoats aren’t dangerous. Come
on.’

Shortly after ni-Frith, Woundwort went back to pick up
stragglers. He found three, one injured by a piece of glass.
He stopped the bleeding, brought the three up to rejom
their groups and then called a halt to rest and feed, himself
keeping a watch round about It was very hot and some of
the rabbits were showmg signs of exhaustion. Woundwort
formed these into a separate group and took charge of it
himself

By the early evening - about the same time as Dandelion
was beginning the story of Rowsby Woof - the Efrafans
had skirted an enclosure of pigs east of Cannon Heath
Farm and were slipping into the combe south of Cannon
Heath Down. Many were tired and, in spite of their tremen-

THE GREAT PATROL 423

dous respect for Woundwort, there was a certain feeling that
they had come a long way from home They were ordered to
take cover, feed, rest and wait for sunset
The place was deserted, except for yellow-hammers and
a few mice pattering about in the sun Some of the rabbits
went to sleep m the long grass The slope was already m
shadow when Campion came runmng down with the news
that he had come face to face with Blackavar and Holly m
the upper part of the combe

Woundwort was annoyed * What made them come trapes-
ing over here, I wonder^’ he said 'Couldn*t you have
killed them^ Now weVe lost surprise *

' I’m sorry, sir,’ said Campion ‘ I wasn’t really alert at the
time and I’m afraid they were a bit too qmck for me I
didn’t pursue them because I wasn’t sure whether you’d

want me to ’ , ^ tat i

‘Well, It may not make much difference,’ said Wound-
wort ‘I don’t see what they can do But they’ll try to do
something, I suppose, now they know we’re here *

As he went among his rabbits, looking them over and en-
couraging them, Woundwort considered the situation One
thing was clear - there was no longer the chance of catching
Thiayh and the rest off their guard But perhaps they were
already so much frightened that they would not fight at all ^
The bucks might give up the does to save their own hves
Or they might already be on the run, m which case they
must be followed and caught at once, for they were fresh
and his own rabbits were tired and could not pursue
them far He ought to find out quickly He turned to a
young rabbit of the Neck Mark, who was feeding close at
hand

‘Your name’s Thistle, isn’t it^’ he asked

‘Thistle, sir,’ answered the rabbit

‘Well, you’re the very fellow I want,* said Woundwort
‘Go and find Captain Campion and tell him to meet me up
there, by that jumper - do you see where I mean ^ - a t once
You’d better come tliere too Be quick there’s no tune to
lose*

HAZEL-RAH

424

As soon as Campion and Thistle had joined him, Wound-
wort took them up to the ridge. He meant to see what was
happening over at the beech hanger. If the enemy were
already in flight, Thistle could be sent back with a message
to Groundsel and Vervain to bring everyone up immediate-
ly. If they were not, he would see what threats could do.

They reached the track above the combe and began to
make their way along it with some caution, since the sunset
was in their eyes. The hght west wind carried a fresh smell
of rabbits.

‘If they are running they haven’t gone far,’ said Wound-
wort ‘But I don’t think they are running: I think they’re
still in their warren.’

At that moment a rabbit came out of the grass and sat up
in the middle of the track He paused for a few moments and
then moved towards them. He was limping and had a
strained, resolute look.

‘You’re General Woundwort, aren’t you^’ said the rab-
bit ‘ I’ve come to talk to you ’

‘ Did Thlayli send you ? ’ asked Woundwort
‘I’m a friend of Thlayh,’ rephed the rabbit. ‘I’ve come to
ask why you’re here and what it is you want.’

‘Were you on the river bank in the rain?’ said Wound-
wort

‘Yes, I was ’

‘What was left unfinished there will be finished now,’ said
Woundwort. ‘We are going to destroy you ’

‘You won’t find it easy,’ rephed the other. ‘You’ll take
home fewer rabbits than you brought We should both do
better to come to terms ’

‘Very well,’ said Woundwort ‘These are the terms You
will give back aU the does who ran from Efrafa and you wiU
hand over the deserters Thlayli and Blackavar to my Owsla ’
‘No, we can’t agree to that I’ve come to suggest some-
thing altogether different and better for us -both A rabbit
has two ears, a rabbit has two eyes, two nostrils. Our
two' warrens ought to be hke that They ought to be to-
gether ~ not fighting. We ought to make other warrens

THE GREAT PATROL 425

between us - start one between here and Efrafa, with rabbits
Irom both sides You wouldn’t lose by that, you’d gam We
both would A lot of your rabbits are unhappy now and it’s
all you can do to control them, but with this plan you’d
^on see a difference Rabbits have enough enemies as it is
Ihey ought not to make more among themselves A mating
between free, independent warrens - what do you say^’

At that moment, m the sunset on Watership Down, there
was offered to General Woundwort the opportunity to show
whether he was really the leader of vision and genius which
he beheved himself to be, or whether he was no more than a
tyrant with the courage and cunning of a pirate For one
beat of his pulse the lame rabbit’s idea shone clearly before
hnn He grasped it and realized what it meant The next,
he had pushed it away from him The sun dipped mto the
cloud-bank and now he could see clearly the track along the
^dge, leading to the beech hanger and the bloodshed for
which he had prepared with so much energy and care
I haven’t time to sit here talking nonsense,^ said Wound-
wort ‘You’re m no position to bargain with us There’s
nothing more to be said Thistle, go back and tell Captam
Vervain I want everyone up here at once ’

‘And this rabbit, sir,’ asked Campion ‘Shall I kill him^’
‘No,’ rephed Woundwort ‘Smce they’ve sent him to
ask our terms, he’d better take them back - Go and tell
Thlayh that if the does aren’t waiting outside your warren
With him and Blackavar, by the time I get down there , I’ll
tear the throat out of every buck m the place by ni-Frith to-
morrow ’

The lame rabbit seemed about to reply, but Woundwort
had already turned away and was explaining to Gammon
what he was to do Neither of them bothered to watch the
lame rabbit as he limped back by the way he had come

44- A Message from El-ahrairah

The enforced passivity of their defence, the interminable waiting,
ecame insupportable. Day and night they heard the muffled thud
o t e picks above and dreamt of the collapse of the grotto and of
every ghastly eventuality They were subject to ‘castle-mentality’
m its most extieme form.

Robin Fedden Crusader Castles

‘They’ve stopped digging, Hazel-rah,’ said Speedwell. ‘As
lar as I can tell, there’s no one in the hole ’

In the close darkness of the Honeycomb, Hazel pushed
past three or four of his rabbits crouching among the tree
roots and reached the higher shelf where Speedwell lay
hstemng for sounds from above. The Efrafans had reached
e hanger at early twilight and at once begun a search
a ong the banks and among the trees to find out how big
t e warren was and where its holes were They had been
surprised to find so many holes in such a small area, for
S ^any of them had had experience of any warren but
Elrafa, where very few holes served the needs of many rab-
bits. At first they had supposed that there must-be a large
nurn er of rabbits underground The silence and emptiness
o the open beech-wood made them suspicious, and most
ept outside, nervous of an ambush. Woundwort had to
reassure them. Their enemies, he explained, were fools who
^ runs than any properly-organized warren

nee ed They would soon discover their mistake, for every
one \wuld be opened, until the place became impossible to
de end As for the droppings of the white bird, scattered in
the wood. It was plain that they were old. There were no
signs whatever that the bird was anywhere near. Neverthe-
less, many of the rank-and-file continued to look cautiously
about them. At the sudden cry of a peewit on the down, one
or two bolted and had to be brought back by their officers.
The story of the bird which had fought for Thlayh in the

A MESSAGE FROM EL-AHRAIRAH 437

Storm had lost nothing m the telhng up and down the
burrows of Efrafa

Woundwort told Campion to post sentries and keep a
about, while Vervain and Groundsel tackled
tne blocked holes Groundsel set to work along the bank
wiule Vervain went into the wood, where the mouths of the
holes lay between the tree roots He came at once upon the
open run He listened, but all was quiet Vervain, (who was
more used to dealing with prisoners than with enemies)
ordered two of his rabbits to make their way down it The
discovery of the silent, open run gave him the hope tliat he
might be able to seize the warren by a sudden dash to the
very centre The wretched rabbits, obeying his orders, were
met by Silver and Buckthorn at a point where the run
opened out They were cuffed and mauled and barely got
out witli their hves The sight of them did nothing to en-
comage Vervain’s party, who were reluctant to dig and
m^e httle headway during the darkness before moonnse

Groundsel, who felt that he ought to set an example
mmself dug his way into the loose, fallen soil of one of the
bank runs Ploughing over the soft earth hke a fly on summer
butter and holding his head clear, he suddenly found him-
self face to face with Blackavar, who sank his front teeth into
bis throat Groundsel, with no freedom to use his weight
screamed and kicked out as best he could Blackavar hung
on and Groundsel - a heavy rabbit, hke all the Effafan
olhcers - dragged him forward a short distance before he
could nd himself of his grip Blackavar spat out a mouth
tT Jumped clear, clawing with his front paws’

But Groundsel had already gone He was lucky not to^have
been more severely wounded

It became clear to Woundwort that it was goino- fe 1,
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to take the l

attack down the defended runs There would bi»
chance of success if several runs could be ooenpH ^
tackled at the same umc, but he doubted whethf-r
would attempt it, after what tliey had seen W . ‘'^^ibits
he had not given enough thought, earher

hazel-rah

would have to do if he lost surprise and had to force an
entry : he had better give it some thought now. As the moon
rose, he called Campion in and talked it over with him.

Campion s suggestion was they should simply starve
the warren out. The weather was warm and dry and they
could easily stay two or three days. This Woundwort
rejected impatiently. In his own rmnd, he was not altogether
certain that daylight might not bring the white bird down
upon them. They ought to be underground by dawn. But
apart from this secret anxiety, he felt that his reputation
depended on a fighting victory. He had brought his Owsla
to get at these rabbits, knock them down and beat them. A
siege would be a miserable antichmax. Also, he wanted to
get back to Efrafa as soon as he could. Like most war-lords,
he was never very confident about what was eroinff on be-
hind his back.

If I remember rightly,’ he said, ‘after the main part of
the warren at Nutley Copse was taken and the fight? ng was
as good as over, there were a few rabbits who shut them-
selves into a smaller burrow where it was difficult to get at
them. I said they were to be dealt with and then I went
back to Efrafa with the prisoners. How were they dealt
with and who did it, do you know?’

Captain Mallow did it,’ said Campion. ‘He’s dead, of
course: but I expect there’s someone here who was with him.
I’ll go and find out.’

He returned with a heavy, stolid Owsla sentry named
Ragwort, who at first had some difficulty in understanding
what it was that the General wanted to know. At last,
however, he said that when he had been with Captain
Mallow, more than a year ago, the captain had told them to
dig a hole straight down into the ground. In the end the
earth had given way under them and they had fallen down
among some rabbits whom they had fought and beaten.

Well, that s about the only way it can be done,’ said
Woundwort to Campion ‘And if we get them all on to it,
relieving each other in shifts, we should have a way into the
place before dawn. You’d better get your sentries out again

A MESSAGE FROM EE-AHRAIRAH 42g

- not more than two or three — and we’ll make a start at
once ’

Soon after, Hazel and his rabbits, below m the Honey-
comb, heard the first sounds of scratclung above It ivas not
long before they realized that the digging was going on at
two points One was at the north end of the Honeycomb,
above the place where the tree roots formed a kind of cloistei
in the burrow Here the roof, latticed through and through
with fine roots, was very strong The other seemed to be
more or less above the open centre of the Honeycomb, but
rather nearer to the south end, where the hall broke up into
bays and runs with columns of earth between Beyond these
runs lay several of the wairen’s burrows One, hned with
fur torn from her own belly, contained Clover and the pile
of grass and leaves, covered over with earth, in which her
new-born litter were sleeping

‘Well, we seem to be putting them to a great deal oi
trouble,’ said Hazel ‘That’s all to the good It’ll blunt their
claws and I should think they’ll be ured out before they’ve
done What do you make of it. Blackberry?’

‘I’m afraid it’s a bad look-out, Hazel-rah,’ rephed Black-
berry ‘ It’s true they’re m trouble up at the top end There s
a lot of ground above us there and the roots wiU hold them
up for a long time But down this end it’s easier for them
They’re bound to dig through fairly soon Then the roof
will come in, and I can’t see that we can do anything to

^^°H^elcould feel him trembhng as he spoke As the sounds
of digging continued, he sensed fear spreadmg all through
the burrow ‘They’ll take us back to Efrafa,’ whispered
Vilthunl to Thethuthinnang ‘The warren police

‘Be quiet,’ said Hyzenthlay ‘The bucks aren’t taUong
hke that and why should we? I’d rather be here now, as we
are, than never have left Efrafa

It was bravely said, but Hazel was not the only one who
could tell her thoughts Bigwig remembered the mght m
F.rrafa. when he had calmed her by tallung of the high downs
and the certainty of their escape In the dark, he nuzzled

430 hazel-rah

Hazel s shoulder and pressed him over to one side of the
wide burrow.

Listen, Hazel,’ he said, ‘we’re not finished yet. Not by a
long way. When the roof breaks, they’ll come down into
this end of the Honeycomb. But we can get everybody back
into the sleeping burrows behind and block the runs that
lead to them They’ll be no better off.’

‘Well, if we do that it’ll last a bit longer,’ said Hazel.
But they 11 soon be able to break into the sleeping burrows,
once they’re in here.’

They 11 find me there when they do,’ said Bigwig, ‘and
one or two more besides I shouldn’t wonder if they didn’t
decide to go home.’

With a kind of wry envy. Hazel realized that Bigwig was
actually looking forward to meeting the Efrafan assault He
new he could fight and he meant to show it. He" was not
t in ng of anything else. The hopelessness of their chances
a no important place in his thoughts Even the sound of
^ ® igging, clearer already, only set him thinking of the
best way to sell his hfe as dearly as he could But what else
vyas t ere for any of them to do ^ At least Bigwig’s prepara-
tions would keep the others busy and perhaps do something
to ^^spel the silent fear that filled all the warren.

You re quite right. Bigwig,’ he said. 'Let’s prepare a
little reception Will you tell Silver and the others what you
want and get them started ? ’ '

As Bigwig began to explain his plan to Silver and Holly,
Hazel sent Speedwell to the north end of the Honeycomb to
isten to t e igging and keep reporting what he could make
^ progress As far as he could see, it would make

e 1 erence whether the roof-fall came there or in the
centre, ut at least he ought to try to show the others that
he^was keeping his wits about him.

We can t break these walls down to stop the run between.
Holly. ‘They hold the roof up at this end, you

‘I know that,’ answered Bigwig ‘We’ll dig into the walls
of the sleeping burrows behind. They’U need to be bigger

A MESSAGE FROM EL-AHRAIRAH 43I

anyway, if we’re all going to get in there together Then
kick the loose earth ba^ into the spaces between the
columns Stop the whole thing right up ’

Since he had come out of Efrafa Bigwig’s standing was
very high Seeing him m good heart, the others set aside
their fear as best they could and did as he told them, en-
larging the burrows beyond the south end of the Honey-
comb and pihng up the soft earth in the entry runs until
what had been a colonnade began to become a sohd wall It
was dunng a pause m this work tliat Speedwell reported
that the digging above the north end had stopped Hazel
went and crouched beside him, hstemng for some time
There was nothing to be heard He went back to where
Buckthorn sat guarding the foot of the single open run -
Kehaar’s run, as it was called

‘You know what’s happened ? ’ he said ‘They’ve reahzed
they’re all among the beech roots up there, so they’ve
chucked it They’ll be going harder at the other end now ’
‘I suppose so, Hazel-rah,’ replied Buckthorn After a
httle he said, ‘D’you remember the rats m the barn^ We got
out of that all right, didn’t we^ But I’m afraid we shan’t get
out of this It’s a pity, after all we’ve done together ’

‘Yes, we shall,’ said Hazel, with all the conviction he
could muster But he knew that if he stayed he would not be
able to keep up the pretence Buckthorn — a decent, straight-
forward fellow if ever there was one - where would he be
by ni-Frith tomorrow'^ And he himself — where had he led
them, with all his clever schemes ^ Had they come over the
common, among the shining wires, through the thunder-
storm, the culverts on the great river, to die at the claws of
General Woundwort^ It was not the death they deserved
It was not the right end of the clever track they had run*
But what could stop Woundwort? What could save them
now? Nothing, he knew - unless some tremendous blow
were to fall upon the Efrafans from outside and of that
there was no chance He turned away from Buckthorn
Scratch, scratch scratch, scratch came the sound of the
digging above Crossing the floor m the dark. Hazel foimd

432 HAZEL-RAU

himselfbeside another labbit, who waj> crouching silently on
tlie near side of the iicw-piled wall He stopped, smiling
was Fiver.

‘Aien’t you woiking^’ he asked listlessly.

‘No,’ replied Fiver. ‘I’m listening.’

‘To the digging, you mean?’

‘No, not the digging. There’s something I’m tr)nng o
hear - something the otheis can’t hear. Only I can t hear i
either. But it’s close. Deep Leaf-drift, deep I’m going away?
Hazel - going away.’ Flis voice grew slow and drowsy.
‘Falhng But it’s cold. Cold.’

The air in the dark burrow was stifling. Hazel bent over
Fiver, pushing the limp body with his nose.

‘Gold,’ muttered Fiver. ‘How - how. How - how cold.
There was a long silence.

‘ Fiver said Hazel. ‘Fiver? Can you hear me?’
Suddenly a terrible sound broke from Fiver; a sound a
which every rabbit m the warren leapt in dreadful fear, a
sound that no rabbit had ever made, that no rabbit had t e
power to make It was deep and utterly unnatural. i ^
rabbits working on the far side of the wall crouched terri-
fied One of the does began to squeal.

‘Dirty httle beasts,’ yelped Fiver. ‘How — how dare you.
Get out - out! Out - out!’

Bigwig burst through the piled earth, twitching and pant-

hig- ' ,,

‘In the name of Frith, stop him!’ he gasped. ‘They’ll all
go mad!’

Shuddering, Hazel clawed at Fiver’s side.

‘Wake* Fiver, wake!’

But Fiver was lying in a deep stupor

In Hazel’s mind, green branches were straining in the
wind. Up and down they swayed, thresh and ply. There
was something - something he could ghmpse between
them What was it^ Water he sensed; and fear. Then sud-
denly he saw clearly, for an instant, a little huddle of rabbits
on the bank of a stream at dawn, listening to the sound of
yelping m the wood above and the scolding of a jay.

A MESSAGE FROM EL-AHRAIRAH

433

‘If I were you^ I shouldn’t wait until m-Fnth I should
go now In fact, I dunk you’ll have to There’s a large dog
loose in the wood There’s a large dog loose in the wood *
The wind bjew, the trees shook their myriads of leaves
The stream was gone He was in the Honeycomb, facing
Bigwig m the dark, across the motionless body of Fiver The
scratchmg from above was louder and closer
‘Bigwig/ said Hazel, ‘do as I say at once, there’s a good
fellow We’ve got hardly any time Go and get Dandehon
Blackberry and bring them to me at the foot of Kehaar’s
quickly ’

At the foot of the run Buckthorn was still m his place He
had not moved at Fiver’s cry, but lus breath was short and
his pulse very quick He and the other three rabbits gathered
^bout Hazel without a word

‘I’ve got a plan,’ said Hazel ‘If it works, it’ll fimsh
Woundwort for good and all But I’ve no time to explain
Every moment counts now Dandehon and Blackberry, you
come with me You’re to go straight up out of this run and
through the trees to the down Then northwards, over the
^dge and down to the fields Don’t stop for anything You’ll
go faster than I shall Wait for me by tlie iron tree at the
bottom ’

‘But, Hazel said Blackberry

‘As soon as we’ve gone,’ said Hazel, turmng to Bigwig,
you’re to block this run and get everyone back behind the
wall you’ve made If they break in, hold them up as long
^ you can Don’t give in to them on any account El-
ahrairah has shown me what to do ’

‘But where are you going, HazeP’ asked Bigwig
‘To the farm,’ said Hazel, ‘to gnaw another rope Now
you two, follow me up the run and don’t forget, you stop
for nothing until you’re down the hill If there are rabbits
outside, don’t fight ~ run ’

Without another word he dashed up the turmel and out
into the wood, with Blackberry and Dandehon on his heels

45* Nuthanger Farm Again

Cry Havoc ’ And let slip the dogs of war.

Shakespeare Julius Caesar

At that moment General Woundwort, out on the open grass
below the bank, was facing Thistle and Ragwort in the
chequered, yellow moonlight of the small hours.

‘You weren’t put at the mouth of that run to listen,’ he
said. ‘You were put there to stop anyone breaking out.
You had no business to leave it. Get back at once.’

‘I give you my word, sir,’ said Thistle, querulously,
‘there’s some animal down there that is not a rabbit. We
both heard it.’

‘And did you smell it ^ ’ asked Woundwort.

‘No, sir. No tracks or droppings either But we both
heard an animal and it was no rabbit.’

Several of the diggers had left their work and were
gathered nearby, listening. A muttering began.

‘They had a homba that killed Captain Mallow. My
brother was there. He saw it.’

‘They had a great bird that turned into a shaft of light-
ning.’

‘ There was another animal that took them away down the
river.’

‘Why can’t we go home?’

‘Stop that!’ said Woundwort. He went up to the group.
‘Who said that? You, was it? Very well, go home. Go on,
hurry up. I’m waitmg. That’s the way - over there.’

The rabbit did not move. Woundwort looked slowly
round

‘Right,’ he said. ‘Anyone else who wants to go home can
get on with it It’s a nice long way and you’ll have no officers,
because they’ll all be busy digging, including myself Cap-
tain Vervam, Captain Grormdsel, will you come with me?

NUTHANGER FARM AGAIN 435

’^ou, Thistle, go out there and fetch Captain Campion And
ou, Ragwort, get back to the mouth of that run you had no
business to leave *

Very soon, the digging was resumed The hole was deep
low -* deeper than Woundwort had expected and still theie
vas no sign of a fall But all three i abbi ts could sense that
lot far below them tlicre lay a hollow space
'Keep at it,* said Woundwort ‘It won’t take long
aow ’

When Campion came in, he reported that he had seen
three rabbits lunnmg away over the down to the north One
appeared to be the lame rabbit He had been about to pursue
them but had returned m response to the order brought by
Thisdc

'It doesn’t matter,* said Woundwort ‘Let them go
Theie’ll be three less when we get in What, you again ^ ’ he
snapped, as Ragwort appeared beside him ‘ What is it this
time^"

'The open run, sir,* said Ragwoit ‘It*s been broken m
and stopped from down below *

‘Then you can start doing sometlung useful,* said Wound-
wort ‘Get that root out No, that one, you fool ’

The digging continued, as the first streaks of light began
to come into the east

4 -

The great field at the foot of the escarpment had been
reaped, but the straw had not yet been burned and lay in
long, pale rows upon the darker stubble, tenting over the
bristling stalks and the weeds of harvest - knot-grass and
pimpernel, fluellen and speedwell, heartsease and persicary
- colourless and still in the old moonbght Between the
lines of straw the expanse of stubble was as open as the
down

‘Now,* said Hazel, as they came out from the belt of
hawthorn and dogwood where the pylon stood, ‘are you
both sure you understand what we*re going to do^*

‘It’s a tall order, isn’t it, Hazel-rah^’ answered

436 IIAZEL-RAH

Dandelion. ‘But we’ve got to try it, that’s ceitain. There’s
nothing else that’ll save the warren now.’

Come on, then,’ said Plazel. ‘The going’s easy, anyway -
half as far now the field’s been cut. Don’t bother about
cover - just run in the open Keep with me, diough. I’U
go as fast as I can.’

They crossed the field easily enough, Dandehon running
ahead. The only alarm came when they startled four
partridges, which whirred away over the hedge to the west
and sailed down, spread-winged, into the field beyond.
Soon they reached the road and Hazel halted among the
quickset on top of the nearer bank.

Now, Blackberry,’ he said, ‘this is w’here we leave you.
Lie close and don’t move. When the time comes, don’t
break too soon You’ve got the best head of any of us Use
It — and keep it, too. When you get back, go to ground in
Kehaar’s run and stay there till things are safe. Have you
got your line clear?’

Yes, Hazel-rah,’ replied Blackberry. ‘But as far as I can
see, I may have to run from here to the iron tree without a
check There’s no cover ’

‘I know,’ said Hazel ‘It can’t be helped. If the worst
comes to the worst, you’ll have to turn for the hedge and
then keep popping in and out of it. Do whatever you like.
There s no time for us to stay and work it out. Only make
sure you get back to the warren. It all depends on you ’

Blackberry burrowed his way into the moss and ivy
round the base of the thorn. The other two crossed the road
and made uphill towards the sheds beside the lane

‘ Good roots they keep there,’ said Hazel, as they passed
them and reached the hedge. ‘’Pity we’ve no time just now.
W^en this is over we’ll have a nice, quiet raid on the place.’

I hope we do, Hazel-rah,’ said Dandelion. ‘Are you going
straight up the lane? What about cats?’

It s the quickest way,’ said Hazel ‘That’s all that matters
now.’

By this time the first hght was clear and several larks were
up. As they approached the great ring of elm trees, they

nuthanger farm again 43'7

itch spiraling dmvn lo the edge of the

CtheS™ , e''e‘°>’ *'= “'“P' “=1 saw before

all rounH ^ i^imyard Bird-song was breaking

'K bS “oZi ‘^'= r'“ “"“s ■" *=

ground Straifrhf^ r sparrow - moved on the

close to the hm.i farmyaid,

be seen bu^r ’ dog-kennel The dog was not to

over the Td!S eye-bolt on the flat roof,

covered threshold ^ disappeared across the straw-

Da^ehon^w™^’* ‘The brute’s still asleep Now

just ’there““^ ‘ ™stake You he in the

gnawed th u’ °PP“^‘e the kennel When the rope’s

«’il be al^°bf tir*^ ^ kf" k ‘^eaf,

®y look-out Tt’^ ’ probably before, I’m afraid, but that’s

you all the wav^d^^ to you to attract it and make it chase
care u doesn’tTng^^'^ to the road You’re very fast Take
remember it’ll be 7°*! hedges if you want to but

berry That’r^ll *’°P‘^ ^^ack-

took coverr the Hazel-rah,’ said Dandehon, as he

of the best sto* “things

^d you’ll be the chap to teU it,’ said Hazel
reanli away in a half-circle to the morning side and

Suuo Of the farmhouse Then he beg!7to hop

bed SV flower^

- phlox in blo^m,

u 1 cat, hens, stagnant water He camf*

th^ I'"?'*- »»d “

A half-used bale of straw stood aeainst it - no d^?k7 i
bedding which, in the dry weathf^ had not been mfrk^f
under cover Here at least was one piece of lucj “0^77^^
^pected to have trouble m getting on thereof Hescramhl^^
straw Across part of the felted roof lav o to ambled
old blanket, wet with dew Hazel sat up, sni^V^n'd^'^‘'l°^
fore-paws on It It did not shp He pSed

43^ IIAZEL-RAII

How much noise had he made? Plow strong was his
scent over the tar and straw and farmyard^ Pie waited,
tense to jump, expecting movement below. There was no
sound In a terrible miasma of dog-smell, which gripped him
with fear and called ‘ Run ! Run • ’ down every nerve, he
crept forward to where the eye-bolt was screwed into the
roof His claws scraped slightly and he stopped again. Still
there was no movement He crouched down and began to
mbble and gnaw at the thick cord

It was easier than he had thought it would be. It was a
good deal easier than the cord on the punt, though about
as thick The punt-cord had been drenched through with
ram, phant, shppery and fibrous This, though dewy on the
outside, was dry-cored and light In very httle time the
clean inside was showing His chisel-hke fore-teeth bit
steadily and he felt the dry strands rip The cord was as
good as half through already

At that moment he felt the heavy weight of the dog move
beneath him It stretched, shuddered and yawned. The
rope moved a httle and the straw rustled. The foul smell
of it came strong, in a cloud

It doe^n t matter if jt hears me now,’ thought Hazel. ^If
only I can get the rope bitten through qmckly, it doesn’t
matter The dog 11 go to Dandehon, if only I can be quick

enough to make sure that the rope breaks when it bemns to
tug’

He ripped at the cord again and sat back for a qmck
breath, looking across the track to where Dandelion was
waitmg Then he froze and stared A short distance behind
Dandelion, in the grass, was' the white-chested tabby,
wide^yed, tail-lashmg, crouching. It had seen both himself
^d Dandehon As he watched, it crept a length nearer.
Dandehon was lying still, watching the front of the kennel

intently, as he had been told The cat tensed itself to
spring

Before he knew what he was doing. Hazel stamped on the
hollow loof. Twice he stamped and then turned to leap to
the giound and run Dandehon, reacting instantly, shot out

BIGWIG STANDS HIS GROUND

439

of die grass to the open gravel In tlie same moment, the
cat jumped and landed exactly where he had been lying
The dog gave two quick, shaq> barks and rushed out of the
kennel It saw Dandelion at once and lan to the full extent
of the rope The rope went taut, held for an instanf and then
parted at the point where Hazel had gnawed it to a thread
The kennel jerked fonvard, tilted, fell back and struck the
ground wth a jolt Hazel, already off balance, c^a^ed at
the blanket, missed his footing and fell over the edge He
landed heavily on Ins weak leg and lay kicking The dog was
gone

Hazel stopped kicking and lay still There was a spurt of
pain along his haunch but he icnew that he could move
He remembered the raised floor of the barn across the farm-
yard He could limp the short distance, get under the floor
and then make his way to the ditch He raised himself on
his fore-legs

On the instant he was knocked sideways and felt himself
pressed down There was a hght but sharp pricking beneath
the fur across his back He lashed out ^vith his hind legs but
struck nothmg He turned his head The cat was on him,
crouched half across his body Its whiskers brushed his
car Its great, green eyes, the pupils contracted to vertical,
black slits in the sunshine, were staring into his own

‘Can you run^’ hissed the cat 'I think not *

46 Bigwig Stands his Ground

Hard pounding this, gentlemen Let*^ see who will pound longest
The Duke of Wellington (at Waterloo)

Groundsel scrambled up the steep slope of the shaft and
joined Woundwort in the pit at the top

‘There’s nothing left to dig sir/ he said ‘The bottom will
fall in if anyone goes down there now * ^

440 hazel-rah

rnal^e out what’s below?’ asked Woundwort.
Is It a run or a burrow we shall be into?’

I m fairly sure it’s a burrow, sir,’ answered Groundsel,
n fact, it feels to me as though there’s an unusually big
space underneath.’

‘How many rabbits are in it, do you think?’

I couldn’t hear any at all. But they may be keeping
quiet and waiting to attack us when we break in.’

They haven’t done much attacking up to now^^ said
oundwort. ‘A poor lot, I’d say - skulking underground,
and some of them running away in the night. I don’t fancy
we’ll have much trouble ’

Unless, sir -’ said Groundsel
Woundwort looked at him and waited.

^ Unless the — the animal attacks us, sir,’ said Groundsel.
AA^hatever it is. It’s not hke Ragwort to imagine anything.
He s very stolid. I’m only trying to think ahead,’ he added,
as Woundwort still said nothing

Well, said Woundwort at last, ‘if there is an animal, it’ll
find out that I m an animal too ’ He came out on the bank,
where Campion and Vervain were waiting with a number
of the other rabbits.

‘We’ve done all the hard work now,’ he said. ‘We’ll be
able to take our does home as soon as we’ve fimshed down
l^low The way we’ll go about it is this I’m going to break
me bottom of the hole in and go straight down into the
mrow underneath. I want only three others to follow,
otherwise there’ll be complete confusion and we shall all be
g ting each other. Vervain, you come behind me and
bring two more If there’s any trouble we’ll deal with it.
Groundsel, y^ follow.

understand . Don’t jump down until I tell you When we

know where we are and what we’re doing, you can bring a
few more in ^ °

* "w A ^ ^^bbit in the Owsla but had confidence

^ u they heard him preparing to go first into

the depths of the enemy warren as calmly as though he were
lookmg for dandehons, his officers’ spirits rose. It seemed to

BIGWIG STANDS HIS GROUND 441

them quite likely tliat the place would be given up without
an.y fighting at all When the General had led tlie final
^ault at Nutley Copse he had killed three rabbits under-
ground and no more had dared to oppose him, although
there had been some hard tussles in the outer luns the day
before

Very well,^ said Woundwort ‘Now, I don’t want anyone
straying away Campion, you see to tliat As soon as we get
one of the blocked runs opened from inside you can fill the
place up Keep them together here till I let you Icnow and
then send them m fast ’

‘Best of luck, sir,’ said Campion

Woundwort jumped into the pit, flattened his ears and
went down the shaft He had already decided that he was
uot going to stop to listen There was no point, since he
uieant to break in at once whedier there was anything to be
heard or not It was more important that he should not
seem to hesitate or cause Vervain to do so, and that the
enemy, if they were there, should have the shortest possible
time in which to hear him coming Below, there would be
either a run or a burrow Either he would have to fight
immediately or else there would first be a chance to look
round and sense where he was It did not matter What
mattered was findmg rabbits and kilhng them

He came to the bottom of the shaft As Groundsel had
said, it was plainly thin — brittle as ice on a puddle - chalk,
pebbles and hght soil Woundwort scored it across with his
fore-^claws Shghtly damp, it held a moment and then
feu inwards, crumbhng As it fell. Woundwort followed
It

He fell about the length of his own body - far enough to
tell him that he was m a burrow As he landed he kicked out
with his hind legs and then dashed forward, partly to be out
of Vervain’s way as he foUowed and partly to reach the waU
and face about before he could be attacked from behind
He found himself against a pile of soft earth - evidently the
end of a blocked run leading out of the burrow - and turned
A moment later Vervain was beside him The third rabbit

442 HAZEL-RAH

whoever he was, seemed to be in difficulties. They could
both hear him scrabbling in the fallen soil.

Over here,’ said Woundwort sharply.

The rabbit, a powerful, heavy veteran by the name of
Thunder, joined them, stumbhng.

^ What s the matter ? ’ asked Woundwort.

Nothing, sir,’ answered Thunder, ‘only there’s a dead
rabbit on the floor and it startled me for a moment ’

A dead rabbit?’ said Woundwort. ‘Are you sure he’s
dead ? Where is he ? ’

‘ Over there, sir, by the shaft ’

Woundwort crossed the burrow quicldy On the far side
of the rubble that had fallen in from the shaft was lying the
inert body of a buck. He sniffed at it and then pressed it
with his nose.

He’s not been dead long,’ he said. ‘He’s nearly cold but
not stiff. What do you make of it. Vervain^ Rabbits don’t
die underground.’

‘It’s a very small buck, sir,’ answered Vervain. ‘’Didn’t
fancy the idea of fighting us, perhaps, and the others killed
him when he said so.’

No, that won’t do There’s not a scratch on him. Well,
leave him, anyway. We’ve got to get on, and a rabbit this
size isn t going to make any difference, dead or alive ’

He began to move along the wall, sniffing as he went. He
passed the mouths of two blocked runs, carne to an opemng
between thick tree-roots, and stopped. The place was
evidently very big - bigger than the Goimcil burrow at
Efrafa. Since they were not being attacked, he could turn
the space to his own advantage by getting some more
rabbits in at once He went back quickly to the foot of the
shaft. By standing on his hind legs he could just rest liis fore-
paws on the ragged hp of the hole.

‘GroundseP’ he said.

‘Yes, sir'^’ answered Groundsel from above.

Come on, said Woundwort, ‘and bring four others with
you. Jump to this side’ — he moved slighdy - ‘ there’s a dead
rabbit on the floor •— one of theirs.’

BIGWIG STANDS HIS GROUND 443

He was still expecting to be attacked at any moment, but
Ae place remained silent He contmued to listen, smffing
Ae close air, while the five rabbits dropped one by one into
Ae burrow Then he took Groundsel over to the two
blocked runs along the eastern wall

Get these open as quick as you can/ he said, 'and send
^0 rabbits to find out what’s behind the tree roots beyond
U they’re attacked you’re to go and join in at once ’

You know, there’s something strange about the wall at
the other end, sir,’ said Vervain, as Groundsel began setting
^ rabbits to work ' Most of it’s hard earth that’s never been
dug But in one or two places there are piles of much softer
stuff Td say that runs leading through the wall have been
tilled up very recently - probably since yesterday evening ’
Woundwort and Vervain went carefully along the south
wall of the Honeycomb, scratching and Iistemng

I beheve you’re right,’ said Woundwort 'Have you
neard any movement from the other side ^ ’

Yes, sir, just about here/ said Vervain
^ We’ll get this pile of soft earth down,’ said Woundwort
I^ut two rabbits on it If I’m right and Thlayh’s on the
other side, they’ll run into trouble before long That’s what
We Want - to force him to attack them ’

As Thunder and Thistle began to dig. Woundwort
crouched silently behind them, waiting

Even before he heard the roof of the Honeycomb fall m.
Bigwig knew that it could be only a matter of time before the
Efrafans found the soft places in the south wall and set to
work to break through one of them That would not take
long Then he would have to fight - probably with Wound-
wort lumself and if Woundwort closed with him and used
his weight he would have little chance Somehow, he must
manage to hurt lum at the outset, before he expected it But
how^

He put the problem to Holly

‘The trouble is tins warren wasn’t dug to be defended ’

444 IIAZLL-RAH

said Holly. ‘That was> what the Slack Run was for, back at
home, so the Thrcarah once told me. It was made so that if
we ever had to, we could get down beneath an enemy and
come up where he wasn't expecting us.'

That’s it!’ cried Bigwig. ‘That’s the idea! Look, I’m
going to dig myself into the floor of the run just behmd this
blocked opening. Then you cover me witli earth. It won’t
be noticed - there's so much digging and mess in the place
already. I know it’s a risk, but it’ll be better than just tryinS
to stand up in front of a rabbit like Woundwort.’

‘But suppose they break tlirough the wall somewhere
else?' said Holly.

^ You must try to make them do it here,’ replied Bigwig*
l/Vhen you hear them on the other side, make a noise — do
a bit of scratching or something — just above where I am.
Anythmg to get them interested. Come on, help me to dig.
And Silver, get everyone back out of the Honeycomb now
and close this wall completely.'

‘Bigwig,’ said Pipkin, ‘I can’t wake Fiver. He’s stiU lying
out Aere in the middle of the floor. What’s to be done?’

I m afraid there’s nothing we can do now,’ rephed Big-
wig. It s a great pity, but we'll have to leave him.'

Oh, Bigwig,’ cried Pipkin, ‘let me stay out there with
him! You 11 never miss me, and I can go on trying — ’

‘Hlao-roo,’ said Holly as kindly as he could, ‘if we lose no
one but Fiver before this business is ended, then the Lord
Frith him self will be fighting for us No, I'm sorry, old chap,
not another word. We need you, we need everyone. Silver,
see that he goes back with the others.'

When Woundwort dropped through the roof of the
Honeycomb, Bigwig was already lying under a tTiin covering
of son on the other side of the south wall, not far from
Glover's burrow.

Thunder sunk his teeth into a piece of broken root and
pulled it out. There was an instant fall of earth and a gap
opened where he had been digging. The soil no longer

bigwig stands ins ground 443

ha^f-fiif ^ broad pile of soft eaith

smell Woundwort, sDlI waiung silently, could

btrow aK "T/b'y “'Sht come mto .l,c open
When It ^ b*io But they made no move

careful ral to fighting. Woundwort was not given to

«suf% hive as ^voIves,

enemy and combers and those of the

go ablut it^Wmf^f to fight and how they

hbe this Whnf- had never had any need to tlunlc

fighung was that ^ learned from all his experience of
fight and thrw; ^ always there are diose who want to

I^oretSanor Bonnot avoid it

crowds of other ^hif ^ alone and imposed his will on

the help of a hai!^Hf ^ warren widi

^ now ^and ^ o^oei^ It did not occur to

mattered tViat- would not have thought it

those who w? *^ ^ rabbits were still outsidef that

«de of the JauT^ were fewer than those on the other
open they could ? Groundsel had got the runs

of thmg do« nor u "°rt

aggressmn ? * I fighting rabbits Ferocity and

those bevood^r'^‘^"S What Woundwort knew walthat

~ :™d“or„ Se'-s-si

01^ the others get in to join us ’ ^

Woundwort waited only for Groundsel to brme bark
^vo rabbits who had been sent to search amZ Ae
roots at the north end of the burrow Then with
behind him, he climbed the pile of fallen earth and thn^^
his way into the narrow run In the dark he could hr^
smell the rusthng and crowding of rabbits - both h
does - ahead of him There wire two bJeks irecd
path but they fell back as he ploughed throutrh !k ^
soil He plunged forward and felt the ground stfddj^^^

HAZEL-RAH

446

beneath him The next moment a rabbit started up from the
earth at his feet and sank his teeth in the pit of his near fore-
leg, just where it joined the body.

Woundwort had won almost every fight of his life by
using his weight. Other rabbits could not stop him and once
they went down they seldom got up He tried to push now,
but his back legs could get no purchase in the pile of loose,
yielding soil behind him. He reared up, and as he did so
realized that the enemy beneath him was crouching in a
scooped-out trench the size of his own body. He struck out
and felt his claws score deeply along the back and haunch
Then the other rabbit, still keeping his grip under Wound-
wort’s shoulder, thrust upwards with his hind legs braced
against the floor of the trench. Woundwort, with both fore-
feet off the ground, was thrown over on his back on the earth
pile He lashed out, but the enemy had already loosed his
hold and was beyond his reach.

Woundwort stood up He could feel the blood running
down the inside of his near foreleg. The muscle was wounded
He could not put his full weight on it. But his own claws, too,
were bloody and this blood was not his

‘Are you all right, sir?’ asked Vervam, behind him

‘Of course I’m all right, you fool,’ said Woundwort.
‘Follow me close.’

The other rabbit spoke from in front of him.

‘You told me once to start by impressing you. General I
hope I have.’

‘I told you once that I would kill you myself,’ replied
Woundwort. ‘There is no white bird here, Thiayli ’ He
advanced for the second time.

Bigwig’s taunt had been dehberate He hoped that
Woundwort would fly at him and so give him a chance to
bite him again. But as he waited, pressed to the ground,
he realized that Woundwort was too clever to be drawn.
Always quick to size up any new situation, he was coming
forward slowly, keeping close to the ground himself. He
meant to use his claws. Afraid, listening to Woundwort’s
approach. Bigwig could hem the uneven movement of his

THE SKY SUSPENDED 447

forepawsj almost withm striking distance Instinctively he
drew back and as he did so the thought came with the
sound ‘The near forepaw’s dragging He can’t use it
properly ’ Leaving his nght flank exposed, he struck out on
^ near side

His claws found Woundwort’s leg, ripping sideways, but
before he could draw back. Woundwort’s whole weight
came down on him and the next moment his teeth had met
in his nght ear Bigwig squealed, pressed down and thrash-
ing from side to side Woundwort, feehng his enemy’s fear
^nd helplessness, loosed his hold of the ear and rose above
bun, ready to bite and tear him across the back of the neck
an instant he stood above the helpless Bigwig, his
shoulders filhng the run Then his injured foreleg gave way
^nd he lurched sideways agamst the wall Bigwig cuffed him
across the face and felt the third blow pass through his
whiskers as he sprang back The sound of his heavy breath-
ing came plainly from the top of the earth pile Bigwig, the
blood oozing from his back and ear, stood his ground and
Waited Suddenly he reahzed that he could see the dark
shape of General Woundwort faintly outhned, where he
crouched above him The first traces of dayhght weie
glimmering through the broken roof of the Honeycomb
behind

47 The Sky Suspended

Ole bull he comes for me, wi’s head down But I didn’t flinch I
went for *e *Twas him as did th* flinchin’

riora Thompson Lark Rise

When Hazel stamped, Dandelion leapt instinctively from
the grass verge If there had been a hole he would have made
for It For the briefest instant he looked up and down the
gravel Then the dog was rushing upon him and he turned

44^ IIAZEL-RAH

and made for die laised barn. But before he reached it he
realized that he must not take lefuge under the floor If he
did the dog would check • very likely a man would call it
back. He had to get it out of the farmyard and down to the
road He altered direction and raced up the lane towards
the elms.

He had not expected the dog to be so close behind liiin.
He could hear its breath and the loose travel flying under
its paws

It’s too fast for me ’ ’ he thought. ‘ It’s going to catch me * ’
In another moment it would be on him and then it would
roll him over, snapping his back and biting out his life He
knew that hares, when overtaken, dodge by turning more
qmckly and neatly than the pursmng dog and doubhng
back on their track ‘I shall have to double,’ he thought
desperately ‘ But if I do it will hunt me up and down the
lane and the man will call it off, or else I shall have to lose it
by going through the hedge: then the whole plan will fail ’

He tore over the crest and down towards the cattle-shed.
When Hazel had told him what he was to do it had seemed
to him that his task would consist of leadmg the dog on and
persuading it to follow him Now he was runmng simply to
save his hie, and that at a speed he had never touched
before, a speed he knew he could not keep up

In actual fact Dandehon covered three hundred yards to
the cattle-shed m a good deal less than half a minute But
as he reached the straw at the entrance it seemed to him that
he had run for ever. Hazel and the farmyard were long,
long ago. He had never done anything in his life but run in
terror down the the lane, feehng the dog’s breath at his
haunches Inside the gate a big rat ran across in front of
him and the dog checked at it for a moment Dandehon
gained the nearest shed and went headlong between two
bales of straw at the foot of a pile It was a narrow place and
he turned round only with some difficulty. The dog was
immediately outside, scratching eagerly, whining and throw-
ing up loose straw as it sniffed along the foot of the bales

*Sit tight,’ said a young rat, from the straw close beside

TH£ SKY SUSPENDED 449

^ 'It'll be off m a ixunute The/re not IiJ^e cats, you
Lnow '

'That's the trouble/ said Dandelion^ panting and rolling
the whites of his eyes ‘It mustn't lose me, and time’s
everything '

'What^* said the rat, puzzled ‘What you say^’

Without answering, IDandehon shpped along to another
crack, gathered himself a moment and then broke cover,
running across the yard to the opposite shed It was open-
fronted and he went straight through to the boarding along
the back There was a gap under the broken end of a board
and here he crept into the field beyond The dog, following,
fiirust Its head into the gap and pushed, barlang with
excitement Gradually the loose board levered open like a
trap-door imtil it was able to force its way through
Now that he had a better start. Dandelion kept in the open
and ran down the field to the hedge beside the road He
knew he was slower but the dog seemed slower too Choos-
ing a thick part, he went through the hedge and crossed the
road Blackberry came to meet him, scattering down the
further bank Dandelion dropped exhausted m the ditch
The dog was not twenty feet away on the other side of the
hedge It could not find a big enough gap

‘It’s faster than ever I thought,’ gasped Dandehon, ‘but
I’ve taken the edge off it I can’t do any more I must go to
ground I’m finished ’

It was plain that Blacl<berry was frightened
‘Fnth help me*’ he whispered ‘I’ll never do it*’

‘Go on, quick,’ said Dandehon, ‘before it loses interest
I’ll overtake you and help if I can ’

Blackberry hopped dehberately into the road and sat up
Seeing him, the dog yelped and thrust its weight against the
hedge Blackberry ran slowly along the road towards a pair
of gates that stood opposite each other further down The
dog stayed level with him As soon as he was sure that it had
seen the gate on its own side and meant to go to it Bla k
berry turned and chmbed the bank Out in the stubbl \ "
waited for the dog to reappear ^ e He

HAZEL-RAH

450

It was a long time coming; and when at last it pushed its
way between the gate-post and the bank into the field, it
paid him no attention. It nosed along the foot of the bank,
put up a partridge and Bounced after it and then began to
scratch about in a clump of dock-plants. For some tune
Blackberry felt too terrified to move. Then, in desperation,
he hopped slowly towards it, trying to act as though he had
not noticed that it was there. It dashed after him, but al-
most at once seemed to lose interest and returned to its
nosing and sniffing over the ground. Finally, when he was
utterly at a loss, it set off over the field of its own accord,
padding easily along beside one of the rows of threshed
straw, traihng the broken cord and pouncing in and out at
every squeak and rustle. Blackberry, sheltering behind a
parallel row, kept level with it In this manner they covered
the distance to the pylon fine, half way to the foot of the
down It was here that Dandelion caught up with him.

‘It’s not fast enough, Blackberry! We must get on. Bigwig
may be dead.’

‘ I know, but at least it’s going the right way I couldn’t
get It to move at all to start with. Can’t we -’

‘ It’s got to come up the down at speed or there’ll be no
surprise Come on, we’ll draw it together. We’ll have to get
ahead of it first, though ’

They ran fast through the stubble until they neared the
trees. Then they turned and crossed the dog’s line in full
view. This time it pursued instantly and the two rabbits
reached the undergrowth at the bottom of the steep with no
more than ten yards to spare. As they began to climb they
heard the dog crashing through the brittle elders. It barked
once and then they were out on the open slope with the dog
lunnmg mute behind them

■5.

The blood lan over Bigwig’s neck and down his foreleg.
He watched Woundwort steadily where he crouched on the
caith pile, expecting him to leap forward at any moment.
He could hear a rabbit moving behind him but the run was

TUI SKY SUSPENDED 45I

0 narrow that he could not have turned even d it bad been
afe to do so

‘Everyone all right he asked

‘They’re all right,’ a plied Holly ‘Come on, Bigwig, let
me take your place now You need a rest ’

"Can’t,’ panted Bigevig ‘You couldn’t get past me here-
to room - and if I go back that brute’ll follow - ne\t tlung
you’d know he’d be loose in tlie burrows You leave it to me

1 know what I’m doing ’

It had occurred to Bigwig that in the narrow run even lus
dead body would be a considerable obstacle The Efrafans
Would either have to get it out or dig round it and this would
mean more delay In the burrow behind him he could hear
Bluebell, who was apparently telling the does a story ‘ Good
idea,’ he thought ‘Keep ’em happy More tlian I could do
if I had to sit there ’

‘So then El-ahrairah said to the fox, “Fox you may smell
and fox you may be, but I can tell your fortune m the
water ’’ ’

Suddenly Woundwort spoke

‘Thlayh,’ he said, ‘why do you want to throw your hfe
away? I can send one fresh rabbit after another into this run
if I choose You’re too good to be killed Come back to
Efrafa I promise I’U give you the command of any Mark
you hke I give you my word ’

'Siljlay hraka, u embleer rah,' rephed Bigwig
‘ “Ah ha,” said the fox, “tell my fortune, eh? And what
do you see m the water, my friend? Fat rabbits runmng
through the grass, yes, yes?” ’

‘Very well,’ said Woundwort ‘But remember, Thlayh,
you yourself can stop this nonsense whenever you wish ’

‘ “No,” rephed El-ahrairah, “it is not fat rabbits that I
see m the water, but swift hounds on the scent and my
enemy flying for his hfe ” ’

Bigwig reahzed that Woundwort also knew that m the run
his body would be nearly as great a hindrance dead as alive
‘He wants me to come out on my feet,’ he thought ‘But it’s
Inld, not Efrafa, that 1 shall go to from here ’

HAZEL-RAH

452

Suddenly Woundwort leapt forward in a single bound and
landed full against Bigwig like a branch falling from a tree.
He made no attempt to use his claws. His great weight was
pushing, chest to chest, against Bigwig’s. With heads side by
side they bit and snapped at each other’s shoulders. Bigwig
felt himself shding slowly backwards. He could not resist the
tremendous pressure. His back legs, with claws extended,
furrowed the floor of the run as he gave ground. In a few
moments he would be pushed bodily into the burrow behind.
Putting his last strength into the effort to remain where he
was, he loosed his teeth from Woundwort’s shoulder and
dropped his head, like a cart-horse straining at a load. Still
he was slipping Then, very gradually it seemed, the terrible
pressure began to slacken. His claws had a hold of the
ground. Woundwort, teeth sunk in his back, was snufilmg
and choking. Though Bigwig did not know it, his earlier
blows had torn Woundwort across the nose. His nostrils were
full of his own blood and with jaws closed in Bigwig’s fur
he could not draw his breath. A moment more and he let
go his hold. Bigwig, utterly exhausted, lay where he was
After a few moments he tried to get up, but a faintness came
over him and a feelmg of turning over and over in a ditch
of leaves. He closed his eyes There was silence and then,
quite clearly, he heard Fiver speaking in the long grass. ‘You
are closer to death than I. You are closer to death than I.’

The "mre!’ squealed Bigwig. He jerked himself up and
opened his eyes The run was empty. General Woundwort
was gone.

Woimdwort clambered out into the Honeycomb, now
dimly ht, down the shaft, by the daylight outside He had
never felt so tired He saw Vervain and Thunder looking at
him uncertainly. He sat on his haimches and tried to clean
his face with his front paws

‘ThHyli won’t give any more trouble,’ he said ‘You’d
better just go in and finish him off. Vervain, since he won’t
come out.’

the sky suspended ^^2

^ sir?’ asked Vervain

e l, just take him on for a few moments,’ answered

» r" i ‘'»™ ■»

one or two other places Then I’ll come back ’

P,.n ft?" impossible had happened The

nad come off worst What he was saying was, ‘Cover

op for me Don’t let the others know ’ " ^ ’

‘TK Fnth’s name happens now?’ thought Vervain

ever P^^'^h is that Thlayh’s had the best of it all along
^ And the sooner we’re

^ack there the better *

thJ^^ Woundwort’s pale stare, hesitated a moment and
the oarth pile Woundwort hmped across to

two runs, half-way down the eastern wall, which
roundsel had been told to get open Both were now clear
h.n 1 ^“trances and the diggers were out of sight in the
^ ^ approached Groundsel backed down the
rowdier tunnel and began cleaning his claws on a projecting

you getting on?’ asked Woundwort

Groundsel, ‘but the other ivill
take a bn longer. I’m afraid It’s heavily blocked ’

One’s enough,’ said Woundwort, ‘as lon^ as thp,.

come down it We can bring them in and start gettmJth *
end waU down ’ getting that

He was about to go up the run himself when he r^. j
Vervain beside him For a moment he thought that
going to say that he had killed Thlayh A semnri
showed him otherwise glance

.T,'.?’''® ~ g«t lu my eye, sir ’ saiH

1 11 just get It out and tlien I’ll have anntVie Vervain

Without a word Woundwort went bark t ^ ’

the Honeycomb Vervain followed ° *^ud of

‘You coward,’ said Woundwort m K
audiont> goes, wheic will yours be m hnl^ T*" uiy

Je „o« h,.cd otr„u.„,

Once „oce he ehmhed on ^ each p* Then he

45^ HAZEL-RAII

of a beaten enemy or a victim. Before his gaze, Vervain
stopped in uncertainty and for long moments the two faced
each other in the dim light. Then, very quietly and with no
trace of fear, the strange rabbit said.

‘I am sorry for you with all my heart. But you cannot
blame us, for you came to kill us if you could.’

‘Blame you?’ answered Vervain. ‘Blame you for what ^
‘For your death. Believe me, I am sorry for your death
Vervain in his time had encountered any number o
prisoners who, before they died, had cursed or threatened
him, not uncommonly with supernatural vengeance, mucn
as Bigwig had cursed Woundwort in the storm. If sucn
things had been hable to have any effect on him, he would
not have been head of the Owslafa. Indeed, for almost any
utterance that a rabbit in this dreadful situation could find
to make, Vervain was unthinkingly ready with one or other
of a stock of jeering rejoinders Now, as he continued to
meet the eyes of this unaccountable enemy — the only one
he had faced in all the long mght’s search for bloodshed -
horror came upon him and he was filled with a sudden fear
of his words, gentle and inexorable as the falhng of bitter
snow m a land without refuge. The shadowy recesses of the
strange burrow seemed full of whispering, malignant ghosts
and he recogmzed the forgotten voices of rabbits done to
death months since in the ditches of Efrafa. ^

‘Let me alone* ’ cried Vervain. ‘Let me go! Let me go'

Stumbling and blundering, he found his way to the opened
run and dragged himself up it. At the top he came upon
Woundwort, hstemng to one of Groundsel’s diggers, who
was trembhng and white-eyed.

‘ Oh, sir,’ said the youngster, ‘ they say there’s a great Chief
Rabbit bigger than a hare: and a strange ammal they
heard -’

‘Shut up!’ said Woundwort ‘Follow me, come on ’

Fie came out on the bank, bhnking in the sunhght. The
rabbits scattered about the grass stared at him in horror,
several wondering whether this could really be the General.
His nose and one eyehd were gashed and his whole face was

THE SKY SUSPENDED

niasked \vitlx blood As he hmpcd down from the bank his
near fore-leg trailed and he staggered sideways He scram-
bled into the open grass and looked about him

Now/ said Woundwort, ^ this is the last thing wc have to
do, and it won^t take long Down below, there^s a land of
wall * He stopped, sensing all around him reluctance and
looked at Ragwort, who looked away* Two other
^bbits were edging off through die grass He called them

^What do you think youhe doing he asked
Nothing, sir,’ rephed one ‘We only thought that -
11 of a sudden Captain Campion dashed round the
corner of the hanger From the open down beyond came a
scream At the same moment two strange
^bbits, running together, leapt the bank into the wood and
^^peared down one of the blocked tunnels
Run » ’ cned Campion, stampmg ‘ Run for your hves * ’
lae raced through them and was gone over the down Not

owing what he meant or where to run, they turned one
ay and another Five bolted down the opened run and a
cw more into the wood But almost before they had begun
u scatter, into their midst bounded a great, black dog,
snapping, biting and chasing hither and thither like a fox
a chicken-run

Woundwort alone stood his ground As the rest fled in all
directions he remained where he was, bristhng and snarhng,
oloody-fanged and bloody-clawed The dog, coming
suddenly upon him face to face among the rough tussocks
recoiled a moment, starded and confused Then it sprang
forward and even as they ran, his Owsla could hear the
General’s raging, squealing cry, ‘Come back, you fools'
Dogs aren’t dangerous^ Come back and fight*’

454

HAZCL-RAH

Stopped. Veivaiu and Thistle, raising their heads to
past him liom behind, saw why. Thlayli had made Iiis v/ay
up the run and was ciouching immediately below. Bloo
had matted the great thatch of fur on his head and one car,
half-severed, hung down beside his face. His breathing was
slow and heavy.

‘You’ll find it much haider to push me back from here,
General,’ he said.

With a sort of weary, dull surprise. Woundwort reah2e
that he was afraid He did not want to attack Thlayli again*
He knew, with flinching certainty, that he was not up to it*
And who was? he thought. Who could do it? No, they
would have to get m by some other way and everyone woin
Icnow why.

‘Tldayh,’ he said, ‘we’ve unblocked a run out here X can
bring in enough rabbits to pull down this wall in four places*
\Yhy don’t you come out ? ’

Thiayh’s reply, when it came, was low and gasping, but
perfectly clear.

IVXy Chief Rabbit has told me to defend this run and
says otherwise I shall stay here.’

His Chief Rabbit ? ’ said Vervain, staring.

It had never occurred to Woundwort or any of his
^cers that Thlayli was not the Chief Rabbit of his warren.

et what he said earned immediate conviction. He was
speaking the truth. And if he was not the Chief Rabbit,
then somewhere close by there must be another, stronger

o ^ stronger rabbit than Thlayh. Where was

he ? What was he doing at this moment ?

beWnd'w^^^ became aware that Thistle was no longer

‘ feUow gone? ’ he said to Vervain.

‘ Vrin u shpped away, sir,’ answered Vervain

him back/ stopped him,’ said Woundwort. ‘Fetch

later. * Groundsel who returned to him a few moments

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ he said, ‘Thistle’s gone up the opened

THE SKY SUSPENDED

455

nin I thought youM sent him or I*d have asked him what
he was up to One or two of my rabbits seem to have gone
With him - I don’t know what for, I’m sure ’

‘ni give tliem what for/ said Woundwort ^Corne with
me’

lie knew now what they would have to do Every rabbit
he had brought must be sent underground to dig and every
blocked gap in tlie wall must be opened As for Thlayh, he
could simply be left where he was and the less said about
him the better There must be no more fighting m narrow
and when the ternble Chief Rabbit finally appeared he
^vould be pulled down in the open, from all sides
lie turned to recross the burrow, but remained where he
'^as, staling In the faint patch of light below the ragged
hole m the roof, a rabbit was standing - no Efrafan, a rabbit
tmknown to the Gencml He was very small and was looking
ttrisdy about him - wide*eycd as a ^tten above ground for
At fii'st umt - as though by no means sure where he might
be *\s Woundwort watched, he raised a Ucmbhng fore-paw
'tnd passed it gropingly across his face For a moment some
ihektnng, hcre-and-gont fcehngstiired in the General’s
intinory - the smell of wet cabbage leaves in a cottage
k'Arden, the sense of some easy-going, kindly place, long
Argoitcn ind lost

hazel-rah

460

‘ Goner keep irn.*
‘You ain’t! ^

Dad. ’E’s nice.’

’ ’ll ^ ^ ben’ bloomin’ good t’ yer. You put ’im in

11 only die. You can’t keep —

e 1 do all manner o’ bloomin' 'arm.

’utci

e gets oul

e’s bad. Dad. Cat’s bin at ’im.’

Cat was dom’ ’is job then. Did ou^hter’ve let ‘im finish
be roights,’ ^

‘I wanner show ’im to Doctor.’

Doctor’s got summin’ better to do than bide about va’
° T You jus’ give ’im ’ere now.’

ucy began to cry. She had not lived all her life on a farm
or nothing and she knew very well that everything
at er had said was right. But she was upset by the idea of
1 ing the rabbit in cold blood. True, she did not really
cnov/ what she could do with it in the long run What she
wanted was to show it to Doctor. She knew that Doctor
lought of her as a proper farm girl — a country girl. When
s le shov/ed him things she had foimd - a goldfinch’s egg, a
amted Lady fluttering in a jam-jar or a fungus that looked
exactly like orange peel — he took her seriously and talked
o cr as he would to a grown-up person. To ask his advice
a lout a damaged rabbit and discuss it with him would be
Srown-up. Meanwhile, her father might give way or he

‘ yon’y just wanted to show ’im to Doctor, Dad I won’t
let im do no ’arm, honest. On’y it’s nice talking to
Doctor.’ ^

Although he never said so, her father was proud of the
way Lucy got on with Doctor. She was proper bright kid -
very likely goin’ to grammar school an’ all, so they told him.
Loctor had said once or twice she was real sensible with
those things she picked up what she showed him Coinin’ to
somethin’, though, bloody rabbits All same, would’n’ ’urt
long’s she didn’ let ’un go on the place. " ^ ^

‘ Wl»y don’ you do somethin’ sensi stendj^

bidm’ there ’ollcrm’ and carryin’ on ' //

dea ex MAGHINA 461

° get some cloze on, then you c’n go’n put ’im
S>dg^ ^hed One what yould foi they

rabbit^She^sh^ut it^f T*^ upstairs, stdl caiTying the
get the cage On ti, drawer, got dressed and went out to

from behind i-lip v ^ she stopped for some straw

long barn Her father came across from the

‘Did y’see Bob’’

‘Where’s ’e gone then’’

on like j ? know’d that old rope were gett’n

go’ go in to N ^ reckon ’e could bust ’rni Anyways, I

best tie ’im ^ uiormn’ ’F’e turns up agen you’d

.j’“, ^ up proper ’ ^ ^ ^

morrer ^ girl I reckon she’ll be right’s a trivet to-

iiiakinl^h arrived soon after ten Lucy, who was

have b tidying her room later than she should

^f the heard him stop his car imder the elms at the top
Hot d wondering why he had

car a ^h.e house as usual He had got out of the

inir d^ standing with his hands behind his back, look-
^wn the lane, but he caught sight of her and called in
e rather shy, abrupt way she was used to
Er-^Lucy’

She ran up He took off his pince-nez and put them in his
'v^tcoat pocket
Is that your dog ^ ’

The Labrador was coming up the lane, looking decidedly
tired and trading its broken rope Lucy laid hold of it
* ’L’s bin off, Doctor ’Bin ever so worried ’bout ’im ’

The Labrador began to smffat Doctor Adams’ shoes
‘ Something’s been hghtmg witli him, I think,’ said Doctor
Adams ‘His nose is scratched quite badly, and that looks
like some kind of a bite on his leg *

‘What d’>ou reckon ’twas then. Doctor^*

HAZEL- RAH

Well, it might have been a big rat, I suppose, or

pel haps a stoat. Something he went for, tliat put up
fight.’

‘I got a rabbit s’moinin’. Doctor. Woild one ’E’s aloive.

I took un off o’ the cat. On’y I reckon ’e’s ’urt. Joo lilie see
’im?’

‘Well, I’d better go and see Mrs Cane first, I think.’ (Not
Your mother,’ thought Lucy.) ‘And then if I’ve got tiuie
I’ll have a look at the chap,’

Twenty minutes later Lucy was holding the rabbit 'as
quiet as she could, while Doctor Adams pressed it gently
here and there with the balls of two fingers.

Well, there doesn’t seem to be much the matter with
m, as far as I can see,’ he said at last. ‘Nothing’s broken.
There s something funny about this hmd leg, but that’s been
done some time and it’s more or less healed — or as much as
It evei will. The cat’s scratched him across here, you see, but

that’s nothing much. I should think he’ll be all right for a
bit ’

No good to keep ’un, though. Doctor, would it? lu
’utch, I mean.’

‘Oh no,^he wouldn’t live shut up m a box. If he couldn’t
get out he’d soon die. No, I should let the poor chap go -
unless you want to eat him.’

Lucy laughed. ‘Dad’d be ever s’woild, though, if I was to
let ’im go anywheres round ’ere. ’E always says one rabbit
means ’undred an’ one.’

‘ WeU, I’U tell you what,’ said Doctor Adams, taking his
t in fob watch on the fingers of one hand and looking down
at It as he held it at arm’s length - for he was long-sighted -
1 ye got to go a few miles up the road to see an old lady at
Luole Henley. If you like to come along in the car, you can
rbn np^ S® the down and I’ll bring you back before

Lucy skipped. ‘I’ll just go’n ask Mum.’

On tl^ ridge between Hare Warren Down and Watership
Down, Doctor Adams stopped the car.

I should think this would be as good as anywhere,’ he

HAZEL GOMES HOME 463

said ‘There’s not a lot of harm he can do here, if you come
to think about it ’

They walked a short distance eastwards from the road and
Lucy set the rabbit down It sat stupefied for nearly half a
^^unute and then suddenly dashed away over the grass
Yes, he has got something the matter with that leg, you
see,^ said Doctor Adams, pointmg ‘But he could perfectly
well hve for years, as far as that goes Born and bred in a
onar patch, Brer Fox ’

49 Hazel Comes Home

Well, we’ve been lucky devils both
And there’s no need of pledge or oath
To bind our lovely friendship fast.

By firmer stuff
Close bound enough

Robert Graves Two Fusiliers

\

Although Woimdwort had shown himself at the last to be a
creature virtually mad, nevertheless what he did proved not
altogether futile There can be little doubt that if he had not
done it, more rabbits would have been lolled that mormng
on Watecship Down So swiftly and silently had the dog
come up the hill behind Dandelion and Blackberry that one
of Campion’s sentiies, half asleep under a tussock after tlie
long mght, was pulled down and kdled in the instant that he
turned to bolt Later — after it had left Woundwort - the
dog beat up and down the bank and the open grass for some
time, barkmg and dashmg at every bush and clump of
Weeds But by now the Efrafans had had time to scatter and
hide, as best they could Besides, the dog, unexpectedly
scratched and bitten, showed a certam reluctance to come
to grips At last, however, it succeeded m puttmg up and
kiUmg the rabbit who had been wounded by glass Uic day

HAZEL-RAH

464

before, and with this it made off by tlie way it had come,
disappearing over the edge of the escarpment.

There could be no question now of the Efrafans renewing
their attack on the warren. None had any idea beyond
saving his own life. Their leader was gone. The dog had been
set on them by the rabbits they had come to kill - of this they
were sure. It was all one with the mysterious fox and the
white bird. Indeed Ragwort, the most unimaginative rabbit
alive, had actually heard it underground. Campion, crouch-
ing in a patch of nettles with Vervain and four or five mor^
met with nothing but shivering agreement when he said
that he was sure that they ought to leave at once this
dangerous place, where they had already stayed far too long.

Without Campion, probably not one rabbit would have
got back to Efrafa. As it was, all his skiU as a patroller could
not bring home half of those who had come to Watership.
Three or four had run and strayed too far to be found and
what became of them no one ever knew. There were
probably fourteen or fifteen rabbits — no more - who set
off with Campion, some time before m-Frith, to try to re-
trace the long journey they had made only the previous day.
They were not fit to cover the distance by mghtfall: and
before long they had worse to face than their own fatigue
and low spirits Bad news travels fast Down to the Belt and
beyond, the rumour spread that the terrible General Wound-
wort and his Owsla had been cut to pieces on Watership
Down and that what was left of them was trailing southwards
in poor shape, with little heart to keep alert. The Thousand
began to close in - stoats, a fox, even a tom-cat from some
farm or other. At every halt yet another rabbit was not to be
found and no one could remember seeing what had hap-
pened to him. One of these was Vervain It had been plain
from the start that he had nothmg left and indeed there was
little reason for him to return to Efrafa without the General.

Through all the fear and hardship Campion remained
steady and vigilant, holding the survivors together, thinking
ahead and encouragmg the exhausted to keep going. During
the afternoon of the following day, while the Off-Fore Mark

HAZEL GOMES HOME 465

weie at silflay, he came hmpmg through the sentry-hne with
a straggling handful of six or seven rabbits He was close to
collapse himself and scarcely able to give the Council any
account of the disaster

Only Groundsel, Thisde and three others had the presence
of mind to dart down the opened run when the dog came
Back m the Honeycomb, Groundsel immediately sur-
rendered himself and his fugitives to Fiver, who was still
bemused from his long trance and scarcely restored to his
senses sufficiently to grasp what was toward At length,
however, after the five Efrafans had remained crouching for
some tune m the burrow, listening to the sounds of the dog
hunting above, Fiver recovered himself, made his way to
the mouth of the run where Bigwig still lay half-conscious,
and succeeded in making Holly and Silver understand that
the siege was ended There was no lack of helpers to tear
open the blocked gaps in the south wall It so happened
that Bluebell was the first through into the Honeycomb , and
for many days afterwards he was still improving upon his
mutation of Captain Fiver at the head of his crowd of
Efrafan prisoners - 'like a tom-tit rounding up a bunch of
moulting jackdaws,’ as he put it ^

No one was inchned to pay them much attention at the
tune, however, for the only thoughts throughout the warren
were for Hazel and Bigwig Bigwig seemed likely to die
Bleeding in half a dozen places, he lay with closed eyes m the
run he had defended and made no reply when Hyzenthlay
told him that the Efrafans were defeated and the warren
was saved After a time, they dug carefully to broaden the
run and as tlie day wore on the does, each m turn, remamed
beside him, hckmg his wounds and hstemng to his low,
xmsteady breathmg

Before this, Blackberry and Dandelion had burrowed
their way in from Kehaar’s run - it had not been blocked
very heavily and told their story Dandehon could not say
what might have happened to Hazel after the dog broke
loose, and by the early afternoon everyone feared the worst
At last Pipkin, m great anxiety and distress, insisted on

^ ^ IIAZEL-RAII

setting out for Nuthanger. Fiver at once said that he would
go with him and together they left the wood and set off
1 • over the down. They had gone only a short

istance when Fiver, sitting up on an ant-hill to look about,
^ ^^t>bit approaching over the high ground to the west.
Ihey both ran nearer and recognized Flazel. Fiver went to

^eet him while Pipkin raced back to the Floneycomb with
the news.

. ^ he had learned all that had happened - includ-

ing what Groundsel had to tell - Flazel asked Holly to take
^o or three rabbits and find out for certain whether the
i^irafans had reaUy gone Then he himself went mto the run
^me^ ’was lying. Hyzenthlay looked up as he

‘Fie was awake a httle while ago, Hazel-rah,’ she said.

He asked where you were: and then he said his ear hurt
very much.’

Hazel nuzzled the matted fur cap. The blood had turned
^ j pointed spikes that pricked his nose.

You ve done it. Bigwig,’ he said. ‘They’ve all run away.’
h or several moments Bigwig did not move Then he
opene is eyes and raised his head, pouching out his cheeks
and miffing at the two rabbits beside him. He said nothing
an azel wondered whether he had understood. At last he
w ^i^ered, Ees finish Meester Voundvort, ya^’

a, replied Hazel. ‘ I’ve come to help you silflay. It’ll do
^u good and we can- clean you up a lot better outside,
crae on: It s a lovely afternoon, all sun and leaves.’

igwig got up and tottered forward into the devastated
oneycomb. There he sank down, rested, got up again and

reached the foot of Kehaar’s run.

‘I thought he’d killed me,’ he said. ‘No more fighting for
me - I’ve had enough. And you - your plan worked,
Hazel-rah, did it? Well done Tell me what it was. And how
did you get back from the farm^’

‘A man brought me in a hrududu,’ said Hazel, ‘nearly all
the way.’ ^

‘And you flew the rest, I suppose,’ said Bigwig, ‘burning

AND LAST

467

a white stick in youi mouth ^ Come on, Hazel-rah, tell me
seimbly What’s the matter, Hyzenthlay^’

'Oh*’ said Hyzenthlay, starmg ‘Oh*’

'What is it^’

‘He did*’

‘Did what'^’

‘He did ride home in a hrududu And I saw him as he
came - that night in Efrafa, when I was with you in your
buriow Do you remember^’

I remember,’ said Bigwig ‘ I remember what I said, too
I said you’d better tell it to Fiver That’s a good idea - let’s
go and do it And if he’ll beheve you, Hazel-rah, then I will ’

50 And Last

Trofessmg myself, moreover, convinced that the General’s unjust
interference, so far from being really mjurious to their fehcity, was
perhaps rather conducive to it, by improving their knowledge of each
other, and addmg strength to their attachment, I leave it to be settled
by whomsoever it may concern

Jane Austen Northanger Ahhey

It was a fine, clear evening in mid-October, about six weeks
later Although leaves remained on the beeches and the
sunshme was warm, there was a sense of growing emptiness
over the wide space of the down The flowers were sparser
Here and there a yellow tormentil showed m the grass, a late
harebell or a few shreds of purple bloom on a brown, crisping
tuft of self-heal But most of the plants still to be seen were in
seed Along the edge of the wood a sheet of wild clematis
showed like a patch of smoke, all its sweet-smelhng floweis
turned to old man’s beard The songs of the insects were
fewer and intermittent Great stretches of the long grass,
once the teemmg jungle of summer, were almost deserted*
with only a hurrying beede or a torpid spider left out of all

4^8 IIAZEL-RAII

the myiiads of August. Tlie gnats still danced in the bnght
air, but the swifts that had swooped for them were gone and
instead of their sci earning cncs in the sky, the twittering of a
robin sounded from the top of a spindle tree. The fields
below the hill were all cleared One had already been
ploughed and the polished edges of the furrows caught the
light with a dull glint, conspicuous from the ridge above.
The sky too was void, with a thin clarity like that of water.

July the still blue, thick as cream, had seemed close above
the green trees, but now the blue was high and raie, the sun
slipped sooner to the west and once there, foretold a touch
of frost, sinldng slow and big and drowsy, crimson as the rose-
hips that covered the briar. As the wind freshened from the
south, the red and yellow beech leaves rasped together with
a brittle sound, harsher than the fluid rustle of earlier days.
It was a time of quiet departures, of the sifting away of all
that was not staunch against winter.

Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but
what they really enjoy is feehng proof against it For them
there is no winter food problem They have fires and warm
clothes. The winter cannot hurt them and therefore
increases their sense of cleverness and security. For birds and
animals, as for poor men, wmter is another matter. Rabbits,
like most wild animals, suffer hardship. True, they nre
luckier than some, for food of a sort is nearly always to be
had But under snow they may stay underground for days
at a. time, feedmg only by chewing pellets They are more
subject to disease in winter and the cold lowers their
vitahty. Nevertheless, burrows can be snug and warm,
especially when crowded Wmter is a more active mating
season than the late summer and the autumn, and the time
of greatest fertility for the does starts about February There
aie fine days when silflay is still enjoyable For the adventur-
ous, garden raiding has its charms And underground, there
are stones to be told and games to be played - bob-stones
and the hke.^ For rabbits, winter remains what it was for
men m the middle ages - hard, but bearable by the resource-
lul and not altogether without compensations.

and last
. . I u-^ncrer m the evening sun,

On the ivest side of the beech S ’ g ^ ^ Ground-

sel The Efrafan survivors had legarded

warren and after a shaky down pretty well,

witli dislike and suspicion, ' tl^at they should

largely because e„e Piver had spent much time

Since the mght of toe ® tnormng and

alone and even m th preoccupied No one

evemng right through you m such a nice,

resented this - He ^ manner

friendly way’ as BluebeUp governed,

recognized that rive pulse of that mysterious

whether he would or no, ^ ^ Hazel durmg the late

world of which he had ^ at the foot of the down

June days they had ®P®'^ °^enmg when Fiver was absent
It was Bigwig who smd " . _ that Fiver was one who

from toe Honeycomb at s y himself for the night’s vic-

had paid more dearly tn Viltounl, Fiver was

tory over the Efr"^“ ,t^e had come to understand him
devotedly attached, w „ j had

almost as deeply hanger, Hyzentolay’s litter of four

o„B.de the gtks They had finit been

young rabbits were P , seven days before If Hyzenthlay
brought up to ^ ^he would by this time have left them

had had a second ii ^ however, she was grazing

to look after toems every now and then

close by, he strongest and stop him bullying the

moving m to cun

others ^ hunch, you know,’ said Holly ‘I hope

‘They those ’

we get some many more unUl towards the end of the

‘We can t c though I daresay there’ll be a few ’

wmtev,’ ct anything, it seems to me,’ said Holly

«-We m autumn - havejoa ever heard of such

‘Three “ . ynth didn’t mean rabbits to mate m the

a thing neioit^

h'Sh ^^^^ow about Caover,’ said Hazel ‘She’s

470 IIAZEL-RAH

rabbit: it may be natural to her to breed at any time, for aU
I know. But I’m sure that Hyzentlilay and Vilthuiil starte
their litters in the high summer because they’d had no
natural life in Efrafa. For all that, they’re the only two who
have had htters, as yet.’

‘Frith never meant us to go on fighting in the hig
summer, either, if that comes to that,’ said Silver, ‘Every-
thing that’s happened is unnatural - the fighting, t ®
breeding — and all on account of Woundwort. If he wasn
unnatural, who was ^ ’

‘ Bigwig was right when he said he wasn’t like a rabbit at
all,’ said Holly. ‘He was a fighting animal — fierce as a rat
or a dog. He fought because he actually felt safer fighting
than running. He was brave all right But it wasn’t natur^>
and that’s why it was bound to finish iiim in the end. He
was trying to do something that Frith never meant any
rabbit to do. I believe he’d have hunted like the ehl if he
could ’

‘He isn’t dead, you know,’ broke in Groundsel.

The others were silent.

^ ‘ Fle hasn’t stopped running,’ said Groundsel passionately*
E^^d you see his body ^ No Did anyone ? No Nothing could
kill him He made rabbits bigger than they’ve ever been —
raver, more skilful, more cunning. I know we paid for it*
ome ga^ their hves It was worth it, to feel we were
first time ever, rabbits didn’t go scurrying
Wni^ 1 ® ®hl feared us And that was on account of

enough TnJtiT weren’t good

another w ^ eneral Depend upon it, he’s gone to start
“rg“ > - Efrafal officer will

sh'r — "“S/ began Silver. But

moie And wffiit a lot we learnt from you . If IfT t? ^
heaid it’s doing well under Campion even f^^^rafa, I ve
aren’t quite tiie same as they used to' be. Aifd^htcn^b^

and last 471

f T> we shall have too many rabbits

next spring, we gg some of the

here for comfort Tm here and Efrafa

youngsters to stmt a be ready to send some

and I think you U ^ be just the right feUow to

of his rabbits to join them You a oe j

start that scheme off ’ , , Hollv

‘Won’t It be difficult to as they began to

‘No. ^,hen Keha» corned

hop easdy back days, when the

the hanger He U P ^ message

storms begin on that B«Wa.e«l

to Campion as qmckly as you

’ , a-u i^cupts and I know someone who’ll be

‘By Frith m the . . Someone not so very far

glad to see him'’ said fauver

tC had -ached the ^ ^1 sl^y! Sde^group Jf
rEts " bigger than Hy^emhlay’s - were

squatung ^ ^he ffing °oL nonSEhT^

lop-eared and free-and-easy Owsla These were

ftfbac!?Ko™'* 1..L and a hkely lot they looked

tou ^ no no, no,’ Bigwig was saymg ‘Oh, my wings
Pn V that won’t do' You - what’s your name -
and beak, ^ j down at the bottom

Scabious - ug^ing up the lettuces Now, what do I do'*
2 Sne walking up the middle of the path wavmg my

'^^‘Pl'ase ^s^ I’ve never seen a cat,’ said the young rabbit
‘No v’ou haven’t yet,’ admitted the gallant captain
‘Well ’a cat IS a horrible thing with a long tail It’s covered
th fur and lias bristling whiskers and when it fights it
l^es fierce, spiteful noises It’s cunmng, see?’

‘ Oh yes, sir,’ answered the young rabbit After a pause, he
said politely, ‘Er - you lost your tail?’

‘Will you teU us about the fight m the storm, sir?’ asked
one of the odier rabbits, ‘and the tunnel of watei ?’

472 HAZEL-RAH

‘Yes, later on,’ said the relentless trainer. ‘Now look, I ^
a cat, right? I’m asleep in the sun, right? And you’re going
to get past me, right? Now then

‘They puU his leg, you know,’ said Silver, ‘but they d o
anythmg for him.’ Holly and Groundsel had gone und^-
ground and Silver and Hazel moved out once more into t e
sun.

‘ I think we all would,’ replied Hazel. ‘ If it hadn t been
for him that day, the dog would have come too late.
Woundwort and his lot wouldn’t have been above groun
They’d have been down below, finishing what they’d come
to do ’

‘ He beat Woundwort, you know,’ said Silver. ‘ He had him
beat before the dog came. That was what I was going to say
just now, but it was as well I didn’t, I suppose.’

‘ I wonder how they’re getting on with that winter burroW
down the hill,’ said Hazel ‘We’re going to need it when the
hard weather comes That hole in the roof of the Honey-
comb doesn’t help at aU. It’ll close up naturally one day, 1
suppose, but meanwhile it’s a confounded nuisance ’

‘Here come the burrow-diggers, anyway,’ said Silver.
Pipkin and Bluebell came over the crest, together with
three or four of the does.

‘Ah ha,'ah ha, O Hazel-rah,’ said BluebeU. ‘The burrow’s
snug. It hath been dug, ’tis free from beetle, worm and slug.
And m the snow, when down we go — ’

‘ Then what a lot to you we’ll owe,’ said Hazel. ‘ I mean it,
too. The holes are concealed, are they?’

‘Just like Efrafa, I should think,’ said Bluebell. ‘As a
matter of fact, I brought one up with me to show you. You
can’t see it, can you^ No — well, there you are. I say, just
look at old Bigwig with those youngsters over there. You
know, if he went back to Efrafa now they couldn’t decide
which Mark to put him in, could they ? He’s got them all *
‘Gome over to the evening side of the wood with us,
Hazel-rah?’ said Pipkin. ‘We came up early on purpose to
have a bit of sunshine before it gets dark.’

‘AH right,’ answered Hazel good-naturedly. ‘We’ve just

474 HAZEL-RAH

under his claws, and it turned into a great, white bird which
spoke to him and blessed him.’ ^

‘ I seem to know this story,’ whispered Hazel, ‘ but I can t
remember where I’ve heard it.’

Bluebell sat up and scratched his neck with his hind leg-
The little rabbits turned round at the interruption and m a
moment had tumbled up the side of the hollow, squeaking
‘Hazel-rah! Hazel-rah!’ and jumping on Hazel from all
sides.

‘Here, wait a minute,’ said Hazel, cuffing them off-
didn’t come here to get mixed up in a fight with a lot o
roughs like you! Let’s hear the rest of the story.’

‘But there’s a man coming on a horse, Hazel-rah,’ said
one of the young rabbits ‘Oughtn’t we to run into the
wood ? ’ ^

‘ How can you tell ^ ’ asked Hazel. ‘ I can’t hear anything.

‘Neither can I,’ said Silver, hstemng with his ears up.

, The httle rabbit looked puzzled.

‘I don’t know how, Hazel-rah,’ he answered, ‘but Ini
sure I’m not mistaken ’

They waited for some little time, while the red sun sank
lower. At last, just as Vilthuril was about to go on with the
story, they heard hooves on the turf and the horseman
appeared from the west, cantering easily along the track to-
wards Gannon Heath Down

^ He won’t bother us,’ said Silver. ‘No need to run: he’ll
just go by You’re a funny chap, though, young Threar, to
spot him so far off.’

‘He’s always doing things hke that,’ said Vilthuril ‘The
other day he told me what a river looked like and said he’d
seen it in a dream It’s Fiver’s blood, you know. It’s only to
be expected with Fiver’s blood ’

‘Fiver’s blood?’ said Hazel. ‘Well, as long as we’ve got
some of that I dare say we’ll be all right. But you know, it’s
turning chilly hcie, isn’t it? Come on, let’s go down, and
hear the rest of that story in a good, warm burrow. Look,
llicrc’s Fiver over on the bank now. Who’s going to get to
him first

AND LAST

475

A few imnutes later there was not a rabbit to be seen on
the down The sun sank below Ladle Hill and the autumn
stars began to shmc in the darkening east - Perseus and the
Pleiades, Cassiopeia, faint Pisces and the great square of
Pegasus The wind freshened, and soon myriads of dry
beech leaves were fillmg the ditches and hollows and blow-
ing in gusts across the dark miles of open grass Under-
ground, the story continued

AND LAST

475

A few nunutes later there was not a rabbit to be seen on
the down The sun sank below Ladle Hill and the autumn
stars began to shine in the darkening east - Perseus and the
Heiades, Cassiopeia, faint Pisces and the great square of
Pegasus The wind freshened, and soon myriads of dry
beech leaves were filhng the ditches and hollows and blow-
in gusts across the dark miles of open grass Under-
ground, the story continued

Epilogue

He did look far

Into the service of the time^ and was
Discipled of the bravest: he lasted long,

But on us both did haggish age steal on,

And wore us out of act

Shakespeare AWs Well That Ends Well

He was part of ray dream, of course - but then I was part
of his dream, too

Lewis Carroll Through the Looking-Glass

And what happened in the end ? ’ asks the reader, who has
followed Hazel and his comrades m all their adventures and
returned with them at last to the warren where Fiver
brought them from the fields of Sandleford. The wise Mr
Lockley has told us that wild rabbits live for two or three
years. He knows everything about rabbits : but all the same,
Hazel lived longer than that. He lived a tidy few summers -
as they say in that part of the world - and learned to know
well the changes of the downs to spring, to winter and to
spring again. He saw more young rabbits than he could re-
member. And sometimes, when they told tales on a sunny
evening by the beech trees, he could not clearly recall
whether they were about himself or about some other rabbit
hero of days gone by.

The warren prospered and so, in the fuUness of time, did
the new warren on the Belt, half Watership and half Efrafan
- the warren that Hazel had first envisaged on that terrible
evening when he set out alone to face General Woundwort
and try to save his friends against all odds Groundsel was the
first Chief Rabbity but he had Strawberry and Buckthorn to
give him advice and he had learned better than to mark
anyone or to order more than a very occasional WidePatiol.
Campion readily agreed to send some rabbits from Efrafa

LPILOGUn

and the first party was led by none otlici tlian Captain
Avens, who acted sensibly and made a very good job of

General Woundw'Oi t was ncvci seen again But it was
certainly true, as Gioundsel said, that no one evei found Ins
body, so It may perhaps be that after all, that extraordinary
rabbit really did wander a^vay to live his fierce life some-
where else and to defy tlie ehl as resourcefully as ever.
Kthaar, who w.is once asked if he would look out for him iii
his flights over the downs, merely replied, ‘Dat dam’ rabbit
- 1 no see ’im, I no vant I sec ’im ’ Before many months had
passed, no one on Waterslup knew or particularly cared to
know whether he himself or his mate was descended from
one or two Efrafan parents or from none at all Hazel was
glad that it should be so And yet there endured the legend
that somewhere, out over the Down, there lived a great and
solitary rabbit, a giant who drove the elil hke mice and
sometimes went to silflay in the sky If ever great danger
aiose, he would come back to fight for those who honoured
his name And mother rabbits would tell their kittens that if
they did not do as they were told, tlie General would get
them - the General who was first cousin to the Black Rabbit
himself Such was Woundwort’s monument and perhaos it
would not have displeased him

One chilly, blustery morning m March, I cannot tell
exactly how many springs later, Hazel was dozing and
waking in his burrow He had spent a good deal of
there lately, for he felt the cold and could not seem to smell
or run so well as in days gone by He had been dieamino- m
a confused way - something about ram and elder bloo^
when he woke to reahze that there was a rabbit 1 ™ ~
qmetly beside him - no doubt some young buck who had

nTreSly have let him in wiThom '^kmg fc ° lSver'^°“?

-You

EPILOGUE

478

‘Yes, of course,’ said Hazel, hoping he would be able to
remember his name in a moment Then he saw that in thQ
darkness of the burrow, the stranger’s ears were shining with
a faint, silver light. ‘Yes, my loid,’ he said. ‘Yes, I know
you ’

‘You’ve been feeling tned,’ said the stranger, ‘but I can
do something about that. I’ve come to ask whether you d
care to join my Owsla We shall be glad to have you an
you’ll enjoy it If you’re ready, we might go along now

They went out past the young sentry, who paid the
visitor no attention The sun was shining and in spite of the
cold there were a few bucks and does at silflay, keeping out
of the wind as they nibbled the shoots of spring grass It
seemed to Hazel that he would not be needing his body any
more, so he left it lying on the edge of the ditch, but stopped
for a moment to watch his rabbits and to try to get used to
the extraordinary feeling that strength and speed weie
flowing inexhaustibly out of him into their sleek young
bodies and healthy senses.

‘You needn’t worry about them,’ said his companion
‘ They’ll be all right — and thousands like them If you U
come along. I’ll show you what I mean.’

He reached the top of the bank in a single, powerful leap*
Hazel followed; and together they slipped away, running
easily down through the wood, where the first primroses
were begmmng to bloom

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